Talks on oil spills

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33433, 15 January 1974, Page 3

Talks on oil spills

<A.Z. Press Association) ' WHANGAREI. January 11. The Minister of the Environment (Mr Maiding) has been invited to attend a joint meeting of oil and shipping officials in Whangarei next week to discuss ways of preventing any repetition of last month’s oil spillage at the Marsden Point refinery. The meeting, called by an action committee of Whangarei Heads residents, will be held at the Northland Harbour Board offices on January 23. Representatives of most Whangarei shipping agents have agreed to take part, as (have officials from the har-.

'hour board and the New Zealand Refining Company. Ltd “We’re getting good cooperation,” the secretary ol the action committee (Mr J W. Colley) said today. His group hopes the Marine Division of the Ministry of Transport and the Department for the Environment will also join the meeting. Another committee member. Mr G. E. Tiller, said Mt Walding had been invited in the hope that he would explain the Marine Pollution Bill at present before ParliaIment. The bill proposes to increase the maximum fine fot ships spilling oil from S2OOC to 850.000. and to place mon responsibility for meeting the costs of cleaning up the spil! on shipowners, operators and agents. It will also allow the Ministry of Transport to take immediate action to contain anj, oil spill. To that end. tender? have recently been called foi 'more than $15,000 worth ol

i-'chemical and spray equip4. ment. the first of which will p be located either in Whanga)f rei or Auckland. j Mr Tiller said the bill was a welcome step, as the present oil-spill penalties did not . provide sufficient deterrent to ’’.ensure that shipowners and 7 crews took stringent precau--11 trims against oil leaks. The meeting is expected to '• discuss the mistakes of the If Christmas Eve oil spill and n consequent clean-up. with the (- view of mapping out a comn bined strategy to cope with ‘-■any similar problems in future. “It’s the future we’ve got ir to think of now,” Mr Tiller '0 said. “This will be a con's structive working session,, e one that we hope will help 11 everyone taking part.” s - The lessons of the meeting could even help the Govern- ’• ment modify or strengthen >- the provisions of the Marine y Pollution Bill, or help it 's decide what additional oil, >r clean-up equipment was: >L needed.