AUCKLAND: The maritime vessel Rena has spilled tons of oil and containers into the sea due to a crack running the width of the ship, sources have reported. Video footage taken by Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) reveals that the ship is only being held together by its internal components. Of the 1,368 containers, 11 have been reported to contain hazardous materials, one of which has fallen into the sea. Clean up efforts to pump oil from Rena has been hampered due to poor weather conditions. The effects of the ongoing oil spill are becoming increasingly evident on the formally white sand beaches of Tauranga now coated with oil. One resident said, “It's just devastated our beach, really. It looks like there's been a fire and just blackened, blackened sand everywhere. It's just horrible.” BM