Editorial: Wreck wrangle in legal waters

The Rena may stay on the Astrolabe Reef.

News the Rena's owners are planning to lodge an application to leave the wreck on the Astrolabe Reef should come as no surprise.

Removing it is a complex, demanding, dangerous and extremely costly job.

But is leaving the wreck on the reef the right thing to do?

A Government order issued to Rena's owners within hours of its grounding to remove the vessel remains but yesterday the Bay of Plenty Times revealed Rena's owner and insurer will seek resource consent to leave it where it is.

Spokesman Captain John Owen says the application will include an assessment of environmental effects and will provide interested parties with comprehensive plans for the future management of the wreck.

Mayor Stuart Crosby says leaving it will create an awful legacy. He is right.

We should not forget the scale of the fallout that followed when the 37,000-tonne cargo ship hit the reef near Motiti Island.

In the ensuing days, the Bay's coastline was soiled by 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil, debris and more than 1000 dead birds, in what will be labelled New Zealand's worst maritime environmental disaster.

Several years on and oil spots and small plastic beads were still washing up along the Bay of Plenty coastline .

Rena's owners and its insurers will be able draw on their considerable resources to support their application.

Those who oppose the move are facing a David and Goliath battle. Some are calling on the Government for assistance, which seems fair. The Rena disaster is a national issue.

The final decision on whether or not to remove the wreck will set a benchmark for how this country deals with such events in the future.