Users raise big stink over marina oil

Aaron Layne is upset about the oil accumulating in the Tauranga Marina. Photo / John Borren

"When the Rena happened, there were small spots of oil everywhere - nothing like this."

This is the view of keen fisherman Aaron Layne who yesterday showed the Bay of Plenty Times water around the marina's north end where globules of black oil were streaming past and getting clogged up in all sorts of places.

He put his hand into the water and pulled it out covered with stinky, sticky black stuff.

"I saw two full-grown shags this morning, their white chests were black with oil," said Mr Layne, who is a marine painter based at the marina and is on the committees of Tauranga Sport Fishing Club and Tauranga Marine Industry Association.

Mr Layne said someone needed to be held accountable and ensure every rock was cleaned. "If we did a small spill, we would be absolutely caned for it."

Boats berthed at the marina had solid rings of oil above the waterline and many had smears all over the sides from the cushioning buoys.

"We never saw it like this with the Rena, but then we had advance notice and the booms were prepared."

Signs stuck around the piers told people to check their shoes and prevent the mess spreading.

The fuel sheen could be seen everywhere, often accompanied by thick, black oil clumps.

Tauranga Bridge Marina Travelift owner Lucy Goodchap said the oil spill was "bigger than the Rena" for her and others at the marina.

"It shouldn't happen. Our haul-out deck is half full of tar, it's all congealed in it. I don't know how we will clean it up. The next high tide is going to bring it all back.

"We never saw it like this with the Rena, but then we had advance notice and the booms were prepared."

Mrs Goodchap said her biggest concern was the boats could not be cleaned until the harbour was clean. "We can't put them back into this."

She said the slings on the travelift would need to be replaced once the boats were cleaned.

"When the boats come out, we have to contain every bit of waste that comes off the boats including the water waste because we can't put it back into the harbour.

"This is our playground. We're boaties and we do all we can to keep it as clean as possible."

Mrs Goodchap said she found out about the oil spill early yesterday morning after she was phoned by the Tauranga Bridge Marina manager, Tony Arnold.

Boat owner Graeme Goodall said there had been a campaign running for a number of years to get a rock wall around the marina.

"If we did have our rock wall going right around and the port had safety measures at the rock wall to run oil booms around, we wouldn't have this mess through our harbour right now."

Mr Goodall was not impressed that he had not been contacted by anyone about the oil spill.

He said he would need to lift his entire boat out of the water to clean it up.

It would cost about $250 to lift the boat out of the water, plus all Mr Goodall's ropes would need to be replaced.

His boat was far from one of the worst affected, he said.

"We now have another oil issue. Why don't we have a response in place?"