WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- New Zealand beaches are open but the public was warned to stay out of the water and avoid eating fish that might be contaminated by oil, the government said.
Maritime New Zealand said salvage operations on the stranded cargo vessel Rena are progressing slowly. Rena is stuck on a reef off the coast of New Zealand. It held around 770 tons of fuel in one of its tanks. About 170 tons has been removed.
"The oil is very difficult to work with and is flowing very slowly at present," MNZ salvage unit manager Bruce Anderson said in a statement."However, the team will be doing everything they can to get it moving faster."
Severe weather hampered much of the salvage operation, though Anderson said clear weather was expected through Wednesday.
More beaches were opened to the public Friday but authorities warned area residents to avoid swimming and eating fish because of possible oil contamination.
Clean-up crews have removed more than 800 tons of solid waste from New Zealand beaches.
As much as 2,000 barrels of oil leaked from the ship after it struck a reef in the Bay of Plenty.
