A man looks at waves washing oil up on to Papamoa beach after the Rena ran aground on a reef off the coast of Tauranga. Up to 350 tonnes of heavy fuel oil have spilled from the hull, prompting New Zealand's environment minister, Nick Smith, to call it the country's biggest maritime environmental disasterPhotograph: Natacha Pisarenko/APWaves wash oil on to the pristine beaches near Tauranga. Maritime New Zealand said 200 oiled birds had been found dead and 47 others were being cleaned at a wildlife emergency centre. Several miles of coastline had been closed to the public and some beaches were severely coveredPhotograph: Natacha Pisarenko/APNew Zealand army soldiers start to clear the oil from Papamoa beachPhotograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
Officials believe the Rena originally had about 1,900 tonnes of oil and diesel on boardPhotograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesAbout 88 containers have fallen off the vessel as it has listed increasingly in stormy ocean conditionsPhotograph: Maritime New Zealand/EPAA man stands near a container that has spilled a debris of burger patties on Mount Maunganui beach. The ship is on the brink of breaking up after a crack appeared all the way around its hull, authorities have saidPhotograph: Natacha Pisarenko/APThe oil slick from the grounded Rena has spread over 5kmPhotograph: Ross Brown/Getty ImagesShipping containers float in the water around the RenaPhotograph: Blair Harkness/APThe crack around the hull of the RenaPhotograph: Handout/Getty ImagesA dead seabird on Papamoa beachPhotograph: Mike Hutchings/ReutersOil from the grounded container ship lies in tide lines on the beach near Tauranga. The Filipino captain of the ship has been arrested and charged Photograph: Bradley Ambrose/AFP/Getty ImagesA chunk of fuel oil on Mount Maunganui beachPhotograph: Natacha Pisarenko/APA volunteer removes thick oil washed up on beaches Photograph: Mike Hutchings/ReutersSoldiers clean up the oil spill on Papamoa beachPhotograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty ImagesOfficials are warning that if the ship breaks up and releases the 1,700 tonnes of fuel on board it will be the worst maritime disaster for New Zealand in decadesPhotograph: Bradley Ambrose/Getty ImagesConservation officials and volunteers remove dead seabirds from the coastlinePhotograph: Mike Hutchings/ReutersSome of the native birdlife killed by the spill Photograph: Fairfax Media/Getty ImagesConservation officials remove dead seabirdsPhotograph: Mike Hutchings/ReutersOne of the rescued oil-coated penguins recuperating in a water tank at a wildlife centre in Tauranga Photograph: Bradley Ambrose/Getty Images
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