Stern of stricken NZ ship sinking into the sea

A stricken cargo ship off the east coast of North Zealand is sinking into the sea, authorities said on Tuesday.

Rena is stranded on a reef some 22 kilometres from Taraunga.

Only the foremost part of the stern, the rear section of the 47,000-tonne Rena, is sticking out of the water after the Liberia-flagged vessel split in two on Sunday.

It ran aground in October, spewing hundreds of tonnes of fuel and containers into the sea.

The pollution ravaged local beaches and beauty spots, killing thousands of birds in the process, in what has been called New Zealand’s worst-ever maritime environmental disaster.

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