Captain pleads guilty to NZ oil spill charges

Cargo ship \'Rena\' is shown grounded after it ploughed into a reef last year The captain and second officer of a cargo ship that caused New Zealand\'s biggest sea pollution disaster have pleaded guilty to criminal charges. The officers were in charge of the Liberian-flagged Rena when it ploughed into a reef last year.
Oil that leaked from the vessel killed thousands of sea birds and fouled beaches in the North Island\'s pristine Bay of Plenty.
The men pleaded guilty to operating a ship in a dangerous manner and attempting to pervert the course of justice by altering navigation records after the accident, Maritime New Zealand said.
At a hearing in the Tauranga District Court, the captain also admitted discharging harmful substances from the cargo vessel, MNZ said.
It said the men, whose names have been suppressed since they were released on bail last year over fears for their safety, could face lengthy jail terms. They will be sentenced on May 25.
The Rena hit the Astrolabe Reef 22km offshore in clear conditions as it steamed at full speed towards Tauranga, New Zealand\'s largest container port, becoming stuck fast on the submerged rocks.
More than 300 tonnes of toxic fuel oil spewed from the vessel, creating an oil slick kilometres long, which washed onto beaches at the popular tourist spot, coating birds in thick black sludge.
Environment Minister Nick Smith described it as New Zealand\'s worst maritime pollution disaster and claimed shortly after the accident that the Rena hit the reef while taking a short cut to reach port.