Rena oil clean up tool reviewed

A research project involving the use of peat moss to remove Rena oil from rocks at Maketu is now complete.

Researcher Tania Gaborit-Haverkort (MSc), assisted by Summa Newdick, has completed the report this week. The project involved reviewing oil cleaning methods and a survey of the Maketu coastline one year on from the Rena grounding.

In the first few days following the Rena grounding, Maketu residents Tania and BSc student Jesse Bramley approached the Maketu Rena clean-up committee with the idea of using a Canadian peat moss (SpillSorb) to clean oil off the rocks at Okurei point.

A trial impressed and the committee agreed to using the peat moss as the primary cleaning method on Maketu rocks. With the support of local volunteers, they spent a number of weeks removing oil from rocks.

During the first few days of oil washing up on rocks, Tania was able to take a GPS recording of the most oil affected rocky shores. One year on, with help from student Summa Newdick, she was able to return to these sites and assess if there was any remaining oil and how the areas were recovering. The survey found three small patches of oil remnants located in the splash zone. No fresh oil or other remnants were seen.

Based on the survey assessments, the report recommends that SpillSorb peat moss be a first response to cleaning oiled rocks.
 
The project was made possible through a collaborative research agreement between Maketu iwi and the University of Waikato. The results will be integrated with the microbiological and histological results.

"When all the samples are back, we will have a complete suite of information and from there, all of the information collected can be examined together," Pia Bennett said.

"This will produce a more informed and complete assessment of the efficacy of cleaning techniques used in Maketu. Even though our project was a small one, in the overall scheme of things it may actually be the most significant in terms of the potential contribution it has to national and international decision-making and planning around oil spill response."