The ill-fated MV Rena which brought to New Zealand its worst maritime disaster, has so far cost $130 million, and $28 million of this amount has come from taxpayers, the Bay of Plenty Times reported.

Rena crashed and got wedged in on Astrolabe Reef in Bay of Plenty off Tauranga in October last year. A massive oil spill followed, and officers of the large vessel have been brought to court over the unfortunate incident.

NZ Environment minister Nick Smith told the Times the amount is only preliminary, as the total cost cannot be determined until the cleanup is complete.

Mr. Smith said the $130 million estimate covers only the basics, such as fuel, cargo and the recovery of the ship itself.

He said the Government intends to get the money spent by taxpayers back from the Greek owners of the vessel.

In the meantime, salvors continue their work in and around the vessel, which already broke in two on January 7 due to rough seas and high swells.

Like us on Facebook

Salvors are recovering wood and milk in the vessel's cargoes, some of which have toppled over into the waters.

However, another episode of bad weather has disrupted the operations to fully assess the damage to Rena.

Maritime NZ continues to hope for better weather so divers could better inspect Rena underwater.

To contact the editor, e-mail: