NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

WWII RMS Niagara shipwreck oil spill risk ignored despite $200m cleanup threat

RNZ
20 Mar, 2025 07:36 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Niagara pictured departing Sydney for Vancouver on August 28, 1924. The passenger liner was requisitioned for service during World War I and II and sank on June 19, 1940 after she struck a mine laid by Germans off New Zealand. Photo / Australian National Maritime Museum

The Niagara pictured departing Sydney for Vancouver on August 28, 1924. The passenger liner was requisitioned for service during World War I and II and sank on June 19, 1940 after she struck a mine laid by Germans off New Zealand. Photo / Australian National Maritime Museum

  • Documents reveal the RMS Niagara shipwreck could cause a $200 million oil spill clean-up.
  • Maritime NZ has recommended a $13.7 million survey to assess the oil risk, but governments have declined.
  • Associate Transport Minister James Meager stated there are no plans to survey the ship at this stage.

By Nick James, RNZ

Documents reveal a World War II-era shipwreck could trigger a $200 million oil spill clean-up but the Government is going against officials' advice to at least do a risk-assessment survey.

In June 1940 the title="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/northern-advocate/news/wreck-of-royal-mail-ship-niagara-reminder-of-how-world-war-ii-touched-new-zealand/WEYNPPFGO4SDLBI4YFZBS7DMEY/">RMS Niagara was sailing out of Auckland for Vancouver, Canada, with 349 passengers and crew on board.

It was sunk by Germany in the Hauraki Gulf but decades later its oil has never been retrieved.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Maritime NZ had been recommended since 2019 to survey the Niagara shipwreck to work out how much oil is on it, but successive governments have declined.

New documents released to RNZ reveal it could cost $200m to clean up an oil spill from the ship and it would cause widespread damage over a large area.

The papers show a two-part survey of the ship would cost just over $13.7m.

Maritime NZ has said the costs are not insignificant but are “minimal compared with the potentially very high costs associated with a large oil spill”.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
One of the many holes in the RMS Niagara, as shown in this screen grab from ROV footage. Photo / New Zealand Defence Force
One of the many holes in the RMS Niagara, as shown in this screen grab from ROV footage. Photo / New Zealand Defence Force

Associate Transport Minister James Meager said there were no plans to survey the ship at this stage.

That’s despite Maritime NZ having warned that if a major spill occurred, the Government would face criticism that with plenty of warning the environment had suffered negative effects.

What happened in 1940?

The RMS Niagara’s journey to Canada was cut short when it was sunk by mines laid by the German naval cruiser Orion in the Hauraki Gulf – the first act of war against New Zealand by Nazi Germany.

It sank approximately 32km offshore of the Northland coast and now lies 120m below the ocean close to the marine boundary between Northland and Auckland.

In the 1940s and 1950s, operations were conducted to take 585 gold ingots owned by the UK treasury off the shipwreck – however, they did not remove any oil from it.

As the wreck nears 85 years old and continues to deteriorate, Maritime NZ and the Government have been keeping a close eye on the possibilities of a major oil spill.

It is unknown how much oil is on the ship, but Maritime NZ believes it’s “furnace oil” which is described as dark, thick and when spilled, would persist in the environment for some time.

The vessel had the capacity to hold 4324 tonnes of oil.

Salvaging from the wreck of the Niagara off the Northland coast in 1941 - a year after it was sunk by a German mine.
Salvaging from the wreck of the Niagara off the Northland coast in 1941 - a year after it was sunk by a German mine.

How much would an oil spill cost?

Ministerial briefings revealed to RNZ under the Official Information Act show that in October last year, then Associate Transport Minister Matt Doocey was told by Maritime NZ in a briefing the potential cost of a significant oil spill caused by the wreck.

“Detailed economic modelling of the direct costs of a response to a significant oil spill from the wreck was completed in 2020 and assessed that for a spill of 1600 tonnes direct costs would be in the order of $108m (approximately $200m in 2024 prices).”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The agency said the $200m figure did not include indirect costs, the costs to natural capital and reputational damage.

The same document said that about 27 species of birds breed nearby the wreck which included five that breed exclusively in that area.

One of those birds is the New Zealand fairy tern of which there are only 40 individuals left in the population, making them New Zealand’s rarest breeding bird.

Maritime NZ said the release of oil from the wreck was likely to cause widespread damage over a wide area in a region with “significant scientific, cultural, economic and reputational value”.

How can volume of oil be calculated?

Because there is no official word on how much oil could be on the RMS Niagara wreck, Maritime NZ has recommended for years to conduct a two-part survey of the wreck.

The agency applied for government funding for the survey in the 2019 and 2020 budgets under the Labour-led Government – both were declined.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The first stage of the work would be a visual survey of the wreck to work out its state of degradation.

Information could be captured by visual imagery, video footage, sonar and laser scanning which could be used to generate a 3D model of the wreck.

The second stage would involve the measurement of hull thickness and contents of the vessel’s available bunker tanks using a technique called neutron backscatter.

Associate Transport Minister James Meager. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Associate Transport Minister James Meager. Photo / Mark Mitchell

In a briefing from 2023, Maritime NZ stated because of the way the wreck is lying many of its fuel tanks are inaccessible, meaning that the surveys may not inform a complete risk assessment.

Maritime NZ still recommends that the surveys are conducted.

In October the agency said latest estimates show the total survey costs would be $13,741,000 – the first stage would cost $1,300,000; the second stage would cost $12,441,000.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The cost of the survey is driven up by the wreck’s proximity to the Southern Cross transmission cable, which means the work would need to be done by a boat that can do the work without using an anchor.

The cost of that vessel could make up $7.5m of the survey total.

In the 2023 ministerial briefing it also stated if a significant oil spill eventuated the likely critique will be “with plenty of warning, time to prepare, options to manage the risk, and the environment has suffered avoidable negative effects”.

The same paper said there had been reports of oil leaking from the ship in February 2016, May 2019 and August 2023.

The Niagara, a frequent visitor to Auckland, was the first large passenger liner to use oil fuel for four of her eight boilers.
The Niagara, a frequent visitor to Auckland, was the first large passenger liner to use oil fuel for four of her eight boilers.

How much would it cost to remove oil?

If through surveying it confirmed a significant amount of oil was on the boat, the Government would have to consider how it could remove it.

In the October 2024 ministerial briefing it stated the cost of removal would be dependent on factors such as the location of the wreck and the availability of workers, vessels and equipment.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Maritime NZ said there would likely be significant technical challenges with accessing tanks on the low side of the wreck.

It said when the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the US Coast Guard decided to remove oil off a ship of similar age in 2003 it cost $31m at the time.

That would be $51m in today’s prices; however, Maritime NZ noted the ship was only at a depth of 53m, significantly shallower than the RMS Niagara at 120m.

The documents said the greater depth would likely increase costs and challenges with any oil removal operation.

What does the Government say?

Meager declined a request from RNZ for an interview but provided a statement that said no plans for a survey were in the works.

“The Government does not intend to conduct the survey of the Niagara at this time.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Meager said that Maritime NZ remained the lead agency to respond should a significant oil leak occur.

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

Atmospheric river to swamp parts of northern NZ, flood-hit South Island braces for fresh deluge

01 Jul 07:43 AM
New Zealand

'Knew he was gone': Truck driver describes cyclist he'd hit lying on ground

01 Jul 07:00 AM
New Zealand

MetService concedes Cyclone Gabrielle red weather warning could've come sooner

01 Jul 06:21 AM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Atmospheric river to swamp parts of northern NZ, flood-hit South Island braces for fresh deluge

Atmospheric river to swamp parts of northern NZ, flood-hit South Island braces for fresh deluge

01 Jul 07:43 AM

Soldiers and Fire and Emergency rapid response teams are being sent to Tasman to help.

'Knew he was gone': Truck driver describes cyclist he'd hit lying on ground

'Knew he was gone': Truck driver describes cyclist he'd hit lying on ground

01 Jul 07:00 AM
MetService concedes Cyclone Gabrielle red weather warning could've come sooner

MetService concedes Cyclone Gabrielle red weather warning could've come sooner

01 Jul 06:21 AM
'Quite a mess': Man who rammed cop car in stolen vehicle given jail and a $10k bill

'Quite a mess': Man who rammed cop car in stolen vehicle given jail and a $10k bill

01 Jul 06:00 AM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP