FEBRUARY 23, 2015
Maritime New Zealand is monitoring a small oil spill off
Taranaki's coast.
The ocean watchdog was alerted on Friday to a spill from the
floating oil storage ship Raroa, which is operating in the Maari Field about
70km off the South Taranaki coast.
Maritime New Zealand spokeswoman Sandra Ford said up to 250
litres of oil spilt when a pipe on board the Raroa split during a routine
transfer operation.
She said the field operator, Austrian oil company OMV, notified
authorities immediately and was using a support boat to skim oil off the water
at the spill site.
The slick, which is marked with a buoy, is now more than
10km from the platform site, she said.
"MNZ expects the oil to break up considerably and, if
it finally hits the coast, it will more than likely present as small tar
balls," Ms Ford said on Monday.
"If this happens, MNZ will liaise with the operator and
the relevant regional council on clean-up options."
The spill is OMV's third at the Maari Field, following two
spills reported in late 2010.
Jean Kahui, co-ordinator of anti-fracking group Frack Free
Kapiti, said no new fracking projects should be allowed until the dangers of
the activity are properly assessed.
"In the light of this oil spill, all issuing of
offshore drilling permits need to stop, at least until a credible impact
assessment have been completed, Kiwis have been consulted and a national policy
statement has been developed," she said.