17 Mar 2018

Debris from stricken ship washes up on New Caledonia

3:43 pm on 17 March 2018
The Kea Trader

The Kea Trader Photo: AFP

The authorities in New Caledonia say debris from the stricken container ship Kea Trader has been washed ashore.

The vessel ran onto the Durand Reef in July and despite salvage efforts, it broke in two.

Cyclone Hola further damaged the wreck and now debris has reached Mare which is almost 100 kilometres away.

Much of the fuel had been pumped out shortly after the initial stranding but oil lumps keep washing ashore.

About 600 kilogrammes of the pollutant has been collected.

The ship, which was new, hit the reef on a voyage from Tahiti to Noumea.

The cause of the accident has not been established.