The operation to pump the last fuel oil off the stricken ship Rena has been delayed as salvors continue to set up the "enormously heavy'' equipment.
Maritime New Zealand had hoped to start pumping the last 358 tonnes of fuel oil from the submerged starboard five tank overnight but salvors were still rigging up hoses early this morning.
A 90kg pump and four lengths of hose, about 150m long and weighing several tonnes needed to be set up before pumping could begin.
Only a skeleton crew had been on board overnight for safety reasons and the hoses were "enormously heavy'', a spokeswoman said.
"It's not a swift job.''
Associate Transport Minister Nathan Guy yesterday said the oil pumping was a race against time and weather conditions.
"At any time the circumstances could change, and that could be from weather factors or the structural state of the Rena.''
An aerial observation flight this morning was underway but there were no changes in the Rena's condition reported so far.
The salvage team yesterday finished filling the starboard tank with seawater to lift the oil to the top, allowing it to be pumped out once the equipment was set up.
Salvors also completed pumping all the used lubricating oil off the vessel and started removing clean lubricating oil.
They have attached 35 underwater locator beacons to the most vulnerable containers on board the Rena so they can be located and recovered, should they be lost overboard. A further 200 of the transponders were on their way to Tauranga from the United States.
Sonar searches for lost containers were continuing.
Volunteer beach clean-up operations would continue at Papamoa today.
Just over 100 volunteers cleaned beaches at Papamoa and Maketu yesterday, while 50 Maritime New Zealand staff and Defence Force personnel cleaned up around Mt Maunganui.
