De pa "m ta' 23:22:35; 0 Te Papa Alawhaz GS ref: 17-8-0884 In Con?dence ooccm: doc-3231477 Date: 28 November 2017 To: Minister of Conservation 3? From: Ian Angus, Director Aquatic Unit Subject: Memo - Response - RMS Niagara wreckage . Purpose 1. In response to your request on 28 November 2017, this memo pmvides you with information on the management of oil leaking from the Niagara. Background and context Niagara Wreck 2. RMS Niagara, a passenger ship built in 1913. unk in June 1940 by a German mine, north-west of the Mokohinau Islands. the eck is in 120 metres of water inside the Auckland Council boundary and closgato the Northland Regional Council boundary. 3. Seventy-seven years later, fuel oil contintps to leak from the wreck. There is a visible oil slick on the surface and a noticeable diesel-like smell. It is estimated that 1600 tonnes of fuel remains in tanks in the rear (the wreck. Who owns the Niagara wreck? 4. The wreck belongs to the Crown. Maritime New Zealand is the Crown agency responsible for managhg he wreck. DOC has Iiaised with Maritime New Zealand to collate some of thequf?nation contained in this memo. Campaign to ct?uel oil from Niagara wreck 5. A number,of people have campaigned around the issue of oil leakage from the Niagara. This in depAuckland Council member Mike Lee. author Keith Gordon. salvage expert CliveShqp and Forest Bird seabird advocate Karen Baird. All have spoken about the wrock?pesing a major environmental risk for the Hauraki Gulf. 6. This'group have stated the wreck is a ?ticking time bomb? because after 77 years in the it will inevitably collapse spilling hundreds of tonnes of fuel oil into the ocean. The R: roup also states the spill would be larger than the oil spill from the Rena that hit Astrolabe Reef at the entrance to Tauranga Harbour in October 2011. The Rena spilt 350 tonnes of oil. 7. These campaigners estimate it will cost between 5 - 10 million dollars to extract the fuel oil from the Niagara wreck. 8. These campaigners have given presentations to both the Auckland and Northland Conservation Boards on the issue. 9. The campaigners are lobbying Auckland Council and Northland Regional Council for support for the extraction of the oil. Page 1 of 3 10. The Hauraki Gulf Marine Spatial Plan has policies and actions that relate to the Niagara, including an ?assessment of the risk to seabird and shorebird populations posed by the wreck of the Niagara by 2020?, and to ?Determine the volume of oil on the Niagara wreck and remove it if required.? Auckland Northland Conservation Boards support the campaign 11. Both boards have publicly announced their support for the campaign to have fuel oil extracted from the wreck. Both boards agreed to be proactive in their support for the campaign. 12. Auckland Conservation Board chair Mayes wrote to the former Ministers of Conservation and Transport, and the then Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, in June this year. 13. The letter says: ?Our Board is concerned that there is a ?ticking time bomb? in o?Or ?ion and with the potential to impact the Waitemata Harbour.? . 14. The letter called on the previous government to provide Maritime New Zealand with funding needed to extract the fuel oil from the wreck. 15. ?This is a preventable environmental disaster. It is better to act no?o inimise the effects than to let the wreck totally fail in the next decade or so and have a catastrophic effect. . 16. ?The Board strongly recommends that funding is allocated ?remove the oil from the Niagara new rather than waiting until the wreck erodes further and fuel is spilled into the Gulf creating an ecological disaster. Oil slicks up t<}15 kilometres long have already been seen from the wreck and a major spill would a th many of the 27 species of sea birds that live in the Hauraki Gulf, including Cook' petrel, storm petrel, black petrel, Pycroft?s petrel and fairy tern. Ecologists have expressed their concern about the risk to breeding colonies and habitat.? .0 involvement to date, and deferral tq Maritime NZ 17. To date, DOC has had limited inwlvement in the management of the Niagara wreck, and has declined to comment in the?nedia on the basis that the government agency responsible for the Niagara is Maritime NZ. The Niagara wreck?s oil spill risk was the subject of radio and prin media reports in August 2017. This week (28 November), DOC is providing repost under the CIA to NZ Herald Investigative Reporter David Fisher. Mr Fisher is like to be critical of the lack of action by the Crown to address the risks posed by afueL?pi I from the wreck. 18. The former nsezvation Minister's office advised the Auckland Conservation Board that the matter wa within the portfolio responsibilities of Hon. Simon Bridges (formerly Minister a ansport) and transferred the correspondence to him for a response. In brief, h?r s?onded to the Board in July 2017 that Maritime NZ advice was that a major le is. ikely (due to water depth, oil type, oil state and wreck fuel compartments), and th the was satisfied with Maritime existing contingency plans in place. 10. N'funding bid or cost estimates have been prepared by DOC or Maritime NZ for the k'?moval or management of oil in the Niagara wreck. 20. The assessment of environmental risk appears to vary between MNZ and the campaigners. Maritime assessment is that the risk of oil spillage is low. 21. The Department is also unaware of any thorough assessment of the Niagara?s risk to biodiversity and conservation values other than statements made by the campaigners, and Maritime regional and national assessments for oil spill planning. However, the waters, islands and coasts of Hauraki Gulf and Northland are known to contain significant values that could potentially be affected by oils spills at the location of the Niagara. Page 2 of 3 Risk assessment 22. There is a risk of adverse public response to any decision on this matter. There is some level of public interest in the Niagara wreck, including recent media reports and CIA requests. Reporter David Fisher is likely to ask us what we are doing to mitigate the risks posed to the native wildlife in the area. Next steps 23. The Department will engage with Maritime NZ further on this issue. Attachments 0 Auckland Conservation Board letter to former Ministers of Conservation and Transport and Dr Jan Wright, 16 June 2017 0 Former Minister of Transport?s response to Auckland Conservatior\?oald, 17 July 2017 Contact for queries: Kath Blakemore. Manager (Marine ENDS i .0 A ?x I 9 Page 3 of 3