WELLINGTON, New Zealand, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The removal of oil from cargo vessel Rena, grounded off New Zealand's coast, is slowing because most of what's left is submerged, an official said.
Rena struck a reef in early October. The ship has maintained its integrity despite a large crack on its starboard side.
Maritime New Zealand, the agency responding to the disaster, said about 737 tons of fuel has been removed from the ship. There is about 650 tons of fuel left in submerged tanks.
"Most of the oil has been removed ... so the fuel transfer rate out of there is slowing down," Bruce Anderson, a salvage unit manager for MNZ, said in a statement.
Anderson added that pumping operations were suspended Wednesday while salvage teams resituated equipment deeper into the submerged tanks.
Most of the fuel was transferred to a separate tanker. Salvage teams were working to get a 4-inch hose connected to a tug boat for additional transfers.
"This is really challenging as the tank is underwater and the team needs to create a water-tight space to work from," said Anderson.
Some oil spilled from Rena during the weekend, though MNZ said most of that dispersed naturally.
