Crane barge back at Rena wreck

10:11 pm on 14 January 2012

The crane barge Smit Borneo is now anchored near the Rena wreck and planning is underway for the recovery of about 50 containers from aboard the front section.

It took about four hours for the barge to reach the site on Saturday after rough sea conditions improved.

The salvage company Svitzer says once the sea is calm enough, the 110 metre barge will be positioned alongside the Rena and they could begin work on Sunday if conditions allow.

Divers are waiting for the sea to calm before carrying out a survey of the sunken rear section, which will help salvors with the recovery of underwater containers.

Sea conditions around the reef are subsiding and swells of between one and two metres are expected on Sunday.

The Rena broke in two last Saturday night. The stern section started slipping off Astrolabe Reef on Tuesday, while the bow remains firmly wedged there.

Svitzer Salvage has been developing plans with naval architects to recover containers from the front half of the Rena, which ran aground on 5 October.