Rena's second officer charged
MARITIME New Zealand has charged a second officer from the crippled container ship Rena for 'operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger or risk'.
The captain of the ship - whose name has been suppressed - appeared in the Tauranga District Court today on the same charge.
The second officer was in charge of the navigational watch of the Rena and will appear in court tomorrow.
The captain was remanded on bail until October 19, on the condition he surrender his passport.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of $10,000, or a maximum term of imprisonment of 12 months.
Rena cracks getting worse
LARGE fractures in the hull of the stricken cargo ship Rena are getting worse, increasing the chances the ship will break up.
Aerial footage taken by TVNZ shows the hull of the vessel has cracked open.
Prime Minister John Key this afternoon (Wednesday) said the substantial fractures in the vessel made it much more likely to break up on the reef.
He defended the amount of time it had taken the Government to respond to the disaster, saying the operation had been carried out as swiftly as possible.
"I can understand people wanting to believe that this could be fixed more quickly. But the Government doesn't hold a magic wand ..."
