Rena removal easier than owners said - new reports

PHOTO/SUPPLIED

Rena's owners have shrugged off independent reports which suggest they grossly exaggerated the time and money it would take to remove the entire wreck.

Independent reports by London Offshore Consultants were commissioned and given to the Government before it announced it would only push for partial removal of the wreck, Radio New Zealand reported.

The grounding on Astrolabe Reef created one of New Zealand's worst maritime and environmental disasters.

However, authorities including Prime Minister John Key have previously said full wreck removal could be too dangerous or too expensive to complete, despite protest from Bay residents.

The consultants' reports state the container ship's owners had grossly exaggerated the timescale and costs for full wreck removal.

A spokesperson for the owners, Hugo Shanahan, said the review offers only one of many expert opinions the judge will weigh up when a decision is made on the application, RNZ reported.

A resource consent application to leave the Rena wreck on the Astrolabe reef is to be heard by the Environment Court.

Mr Shanahan suggested the Bay of Plenty's Regional Council's report due in November will give a more accurate picture of the Rena's situation.

In 2011, the container ship crashed into the Astrolabe Reef, off Tauranga, spilling tonnes of oil and debris into the sea and creating one of the country's worst maritime and environmental disasters.

The Rena is owned by Greek shipping company Costamare through one of its subsidiaries, Daina Shipping Company.