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2011-10-05 · Astrolabe Reef, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand · Post-Panamax container ship · Liberia flag
The Liberian-flagged Post-Panamax container ship MV Rena grounded at full speed (17 knots) on the Astrolabe Reef in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, at 02:14 on 5 October 2011. The bridge team had altered course to shave time off the arrival at Tauranga — a decision route that would have taken her directly over the well-charted reef. Investigation revealed the Second Officer had failed to check the ECDIS shallow-water alarm, which was disabled. Fuel oil began leaking within days; 350 tonnes eventually spilled, contaminating the Bay of Plenty coast + Tauranga's iconic Mount Maunganui beaches. The Master and Second Officer were prosecuted; both received prison sentences under NZ criminal law. The vessel broke in two in January 2012 during a storm; salvage of the remaining cargo + hull continued until 2016.
Rena is the definitive modern case for ECDIS alarm-disabling as a criminal navigation failure. Every deck officer training programme now emphasises the ECDIS safety-contour alarm review as a bridge-team-briefing item + the criminal exposure of altering course to shorten a passage. Also drove IMO ECDIS training standards revision.
New Zealand Maritime Transport Amendment Act 2013 established stricter marine-pollution liability regime + navigation-officer certification requirements. Drove IMO revised guidance on hull-integrity inspection intervals.