1,000 birds dead in NZ sea disaster

Last Updated: Tue, 18 Oct 2011 07:32:00 +1100

Maritime New Zealand says it fears a cargo ship stranded off the New Zealand coast will soon break apart or sink.

An estimated 350 tonnes of leaking fuel from the vessel, the Rena, has killed more than 1,000 sea birds.

Three members of a salvage team spent the night on the Rena to try to continue removing oil.

Salvage response head Bruce Anderson says the ship has been making loud groaning and creaking noises.

The Rena was grounded on October 5 on the Astrolabe Reef,

That is 22 kilometres from Tauranga, on New Zealand's North Island.

It triggered what officials describe as the country's worst maritime environmental disaster.

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