Wellington (dpa) – The Filipino captain of the cargo ship Rena, which ran aground on a New Zealand reef in October, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges that could see him jailed for seven years, news reports said. The skipper, whose name has been suppressed by the court, admitted operating a vessel in a manner causing unnecessary danger and discharging harmful contaminants into the sea. He also pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by amending the ship's log after it hit the reef 22 kilometers off the port of Tauranga on the west coast of the North Island on October 5. The ship's navigational officer, whose name was also suppressed, pleaded guilty to all charges except one – operating a vessel in a dangerous manner, a charge for which he entered no plea. Both men were released on bail and are to appear for sentence in the Tauranga District Court again in May. The 47,230-ton, 236-metre Rena remains broken in two on the reef, and a massive salvage operation continues, which has removed 561 cargo containers of the 1,368 it was carrying. A total of 350 tons of heavy fuel oil leaked from the ship, polluting some of the North Island's finest sandy beaches and killing 2,410 seabirds. The rest of the 25-man crew were flown home after the incident. A judge suppressed the names of the captain and his navigation officer after their attorneys said they risked being attacked by local people angry at the pollution caused by the ship's grounding. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/rtO9G Tags: New Zealand, Philippines, Reef, Rena, Ship Section: East Asia, Environment, Going Green, Latest News, Oceana
