Bridges finally visits oil spill

Member of Parliament Simon Bridges can not guarantee Tauranga will not be impacted by another oil spill in the future.

But, Mr Bridges says the spill was nothing compared to Rena.

Mr Bridges made his first visit to Tauranga Bridge Marina after the oil spill which happened last Monday, today.

About 1500 litres of heavy fuel oil leaked into Tauranga Harbour after a leak in a fuel pipeline.

Oil was carried from the harbour to Maungatapu, Pilot Bay, Mount Maunganui and Matakana Island.

Over 20 tonnes of oil and waste had been cleaned up from the Bay shorelines since.

The Bay of Plenty Times put to Mr Bridges that Tauranga had been impacted by two significant oil spills in the last five years and asked whether his opinion on deep sea drilling had been challenged.

"I don't think it has anything to do with deep-sea oil drilling, and people who say that are wrong."

His duties in Parliament meant he was not able to visit until now, he said.

Mr Bridges said he was concerned the spill happened but could not ensure similar spills did not take place in the future.

"None of us wanted it to happen and if we can ensure they don't - that's excellent. That said, I think there needs to be some realism.

"Ultimately we are a trading country, we have ports and whilst we have to minimise the likelihood of these things happening, getting it to 100 per cent chance of it not happening is probably going never going to happen."

The recent oil spill was not a disaster for the Tauranga environment, he said.

Mr Bridges said he was not sure why it took Mobil so long to announce how much oil had been spilt.

"I don't know why Mobil got themselves into a bit of a tangle on that but ultimately we know it's 1500 litres. Every bit of that is more than any of us would like but in the scheme of things it's vastly smaller than the Rena."

Mr Bridges told The Bay of Plenty Times iwi were informed of the oil spill the day it happened.

However, Ngati Ranginui spokesperson Carlton Bidois refuted the claims and said he was notified the day afterward, April 28.

Mr Bidois said iwi were disappointed in the breakdown in communication between them and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council.

A separate communications strategy needed to put in place for oil spill response, he said.

Yet, Mr Bidois said iwi had been happy with the response and clean up after the spill.

"We haven't found an area lacking attention so far. But there has been more impact on the inner harbour compared with Rena."

Bay of Plenty Regional Council chief executive Mary-Anne MacLeod said staff and volunteers had been able to clean up more than 20 tonnes of oil and waste after the spill.

While oil spill clean-up crews led by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council were continuing their work to clean-up oil at Bridge Marina, the port wharf and Pilot Bay today.

Volunteers would continue to check tide lines over the next couple of weeks to make sure most of the oil was cleaned up.

Oil was still located under the wharf where it had been leaked, she said.

"As long as it stays there there is not much harm."

Some spots of weathered oil and oiled debris had also been confirmed in the Panepane Point area of Matakana Island.

Local iwi were cleaning up there with assistance from Regional Council contractors.

Spotted oil? Who to call:

There are two possible oily sheens people may see - natural or one caused by a spill. Call the Pollution Hotline phone 0800 884 883 so it can be checked.

The public have been asked to avoid contact with oiled material and stay away from oil wash-up areas.

Any oiled wildlife found should be reported to DOC 0800 362 468 (0800 DOC HOT).

Boat owners are reminded not to clean their boats or gear with any aggressive chemicals as this may cause more contamination. Please contact your marina operator for advice.

Mobil has set up two 0800 numbers:

For boat owners wanting advice about cleaning etc. 0800 895 011.
For boat owners wanting to make insurance claims to Mobil - 0800 692 524.