A cargo ship stuck on a reef leaked oil 12 miles off the coast of New Zealand at the port of Tauranga, Oct. 11. Maritime New Zealand estimates that 300 tons of fuel leaked from the ship, and the country’s environment minister Nick Smith called this event the biggest maritime environmental disaster the country has ever seen. The 1,368 containers on the ship contained hazardous materials, but had not fallen overboard. Maritime New Zealand estimates that several hundred endangered birds were killed by the oil spill. Spokesman for the WWF, Bob Zuur, told BBC News on Oct. 11 that the oil represents a huge tragedy for wildlife in the area. The ship Rena is owned by Greece’s Costamare Inc., which has made no decision on whether to pump the remaining oil from the ship. Efforts to clean up the oil spill resulted in the collection of 95.45 tons of waste, Oct. 13. 60 kilometers of New Zealand coastline have been contaminated with oil and 500 dead birds have been found. #