Birds affected by Awakino oil spill

Up to 20 shags, terns and ducks in the coastal marine area had been lightly oiled after more than 20,000 litres of oil spilled into the Awakino River this week. File photo / Thinkstock

Up to 20 birds have been coated with oil after a major spill which clogged a King Country river on Wednesday.

More than 20,000 litres of oil spilled into the Awakino River when an oil tanker overturned and its contents flowed down the river to the mouth, about 98km northeast of New Plymouth.

Waikato Regional Council said in a statement up to 20 shags, terns and ducks in the coastal marine area had been lightly oiled.

Staff from the Department of Conservation and Massey University have set up an incident control centre at a local hotel.

They were considering catching affected birds and transferring them to a university facility in Palmerston North for de-oiling.

Council spokesman Stephen Ward said there now appeared to be little oil in the river itself, with most of it either flushed out to sea or caught by a boom and sucker truck operation at the Awakino boat ramp.

Another boom had been set up at a bridge 4km from the coast. The booms would remain in place for several days as there was still a light sheen of oil on the river, Mr Ward said.

The council said the company which owned the crashed tanker was helping with the cleanup and people were urged to stay clear of the river and the river mouth until the oil had been cleared.

Anyone finding birds or animals affected by the oil should call the Department of Conservation.

- NZPA