Full removal of the wreck of the Rena will set back the environmental recovery of Astrolabe Reef by five to 10 years, according to Beca consultant Keith Frentz.
Mr Frentz was updating the Tauranga City Council today on the salvage operation which reached a milestone a fortnight ago with the removal of half the accommodation block.
He said the application for a consent to abandon the wreck on the reef, minus the accommodation block, would be filed by late March or early April with two months for the public to lodge submissions on the proposal.
![Rena wreck on Astrolabe reef](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/AMUFICPQ4BE7GV4Z3M7IFCIEUY.jpg?auth=abb15c11778d4079625b2a595961c6aca7314a2ce3b413130a541efa9d1e2652&width=16&height=20&quality=70&smart=true)
He did not expect a decision from the Environment Court until the middle of next year.