Just over 70 tonnes of oil had been pumped from the stricken carho ship Rena by 5.30pm today.
A crew of three salvage team members would remain on board overnight to continue pumping as weather permitted, Maritime New Zealand said in a statement.
A second pump was added today to hasten the removal of oil from the stricken cargo ship before expected bad weather arrives in the Bay of Plenty.
The vessel, which is stuck on Astrolabe Reef on the Tauranga coast, is now listing at a 21-degree angle.
A crew of nine salvage workers began pumping the estimated 1300 tonnes of oil aboard the ship yesterday.
WeatherWatch said today that while more rough weather was moving in to the Bay of Plenty tonight, it would not be as bad as last week's.
The Rena was badly damaged in high seas last week - around 350 tonnes of oil leaked from it and more than 80 containers were lost overboard.
WeatherWatch said swells were expected to push in from the north but would turn more westerly tomorrow. The strongest winds would be overnight tonight and during tomorrow and Wednesday.
A combination of the swells and strong winds could see debris floating south to southeast and possibly east.
Swells around the Rena would peak at 2-3m over the next 24 to 36 hours but the winds and swells should ease after Wednesday, the forecaster said.
