Rena: Still There DESPITE The Media!

The large storm that hit NZ over New Year also played merry hell with the stranded container ship Rena.
Heavy swells have opened the crack in her hull even further. This is the fourth storm the 47,000-tonne ship has endured since running aground in early October. At least two more containers washed overboard, and the break in the ship has widened to 1.5m. Maritime NZ (MNZ) confirms however that the vessel IS firmly grounded on the reef. Confirmed?
Was there any doubt? Well...er...yes, there was.
Within the last two days, some radio reports erroneously said the ship had broken in two! In fact, salvors have been assessing the latest damage, and no-one's panicking (except perhaps those journalists who're gagging to be first with the story!). MNZ says the crack is similar to a chip on a car windscreen: over time it'll grow until the ship breaks apart. Tugs are on-station should anything happen, if it starts to float off or break up.
TV journos also have the bloodlust, reporting the salvors Svitzer would not return property unless container owners guaranteed to pay them 80% of a container's value. Bzzzzzzzzzt!!! Wrong again! Svitzer says owners of personal property (such as household furniture, appliances and vehicles) not destroyed or lost should get their belongings back, regardless of whether or not they were insured: "There has never been an intention to hold security over such personal items.''
And while talking 'accuracy', have you seen Greenpeace's emotive tv ad campaign, selling prints of dead penguins? It claims 20,000 seabirds died in the Rena oil. 20,000!!! (I'd sure like to see the source of that figure. I've written to Greenpeace, but so far no response.) MNZ says 2,049 dead seabirds. Anyone lose a zero somewhere? Seems Greenpeace FOUND one...
Now, I know the Rena story is an ongoing one which shoots up the interest scale whenever there's a storm. And because NZ hasn't had a case like this before, there's a certain level of sustained media attention. But for crissake!!!! These're supposedly qualified and skilled journalists. This ain't a knock-up for News Of The World, a la
"Aliens Raped My Cat - She Gave Birth To a 30kg Trout"! There's NO excuse for such horrendous mistakes!
Get - the - facts- right!!! Triple-check 'em!!!
The ship will break up soon enough. But if these hacks are hangin' around desperately for a media award, the only one they'll get with this standard of shit journalism is a POO-Litzer!

[for more musings on Rena, click the 'ships and wrecks' search tag...]