Preparations are underway for the removal of containers following the extraction of nearly all the oil from stricken cargo ship Rena.
As the last of the oil pumped off the ship, the salvage team is now focused on removing 1349 shipping containers precariously balanced on board, sitting on the sea floor and in the Bay of Plenty.
The crane barge Sea Tow 60 is on its way to the ship to take up its position at the stern and begin preparations for container recovery, said Maritime New Zealand.
Salvage unit manager Arthur Jobard said the barge was expected to take at least a day to establish its position and ensure its systems were ready to begin the operation.
It would be a "slow methodical process'', starting with the containers at the stern,'' said Mr Jobard.
The crane ship can remove five to six containers a day which means it could take seven months to get all of them off the ship.
The Smit Borneo, a 110m crane barge with a longer reach than the ST60, was due to arrive in Tauranga from Singapore around December 5 to assist.
It will be used to access containers towards the bow of the ship, which are beyond the reach of the ST60,'' said Mr Jobard.
Nineteen containers have been recovered from the ship, with 56 of the 88 that fell overboard still unaccounted for, said a Maritime New Zealand spokeswoman.
Once removed, the containers will be taken to an on-shore base at Truman Lane, Te Maunga.
"The cargo will be removed, and the containers will be decontaminated, cleaned and if possible reused, or disposed of.
Mr Jobard said removing the bulk of the 358 tonnes of heavy fuel oil from the ship was a key milestone, signalling a shift in the operation.
"We are now in the second phase, with the salvors focusing on `stripping' the last of the accessible and pumpable oil from the ship. This can be done in parallel with the container removal.''
Tauranga mayor Stuart Crosby said the progress of the operation was "tremendous news'' for the region.
"It's a significant relief and we're looking forward to the next stage of moving the containers,'' he told radio New Zealand today (Monday).
The coastal community was now focused on re-establishing its reputation as being "open for business'' following the clean-up efforts, he said.
Shoreline clean-up activities are continuing, with operations underway at Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, Maketu and Rabbit Island today.
National on scene commander Mick Courtnell said the bulk of the oil was off the beaches and teams were focused on removing those more persistent patches of oil "on rocks and buried in the sand.''
"We've already seen different techniques, such as surf washing and beach cleaning machinery, being used to get these beaches clean. We will be continuing to assess, clean and re-clean as long as we need to,' he said.
Most volunteers are having today and tomorrow off as well-earned rest days, although there will still be one volunteer clean-up event today, at Maketu.
