At a Glance

A month-long oil spill from a wrecked freighter is threatening a UNESCO World Heritage Site site in the Solomon IslandsAbout 100 tons of oil spilled into the sea on a protected atoll near Rennell Island. Residents, officials are angry at the slow response of the companies responsible for the spill.

A month-long oil spill from a Hong Kong-flagged freighter is threatening a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Solomon Islands, sparking outrage that little is being done to clean up the mess.

The 650-foot-long Solomon Trader, owned by King Trading Ltd., ran aground on Feb. 5 on Kongobainiu reef at Rennell Island's Kangava Bay, putting what UNESCO describes as the "" at risk.

The wreck occurred as Cyclone Oma was heading toward the southern Solomon Islands.

According to reports, the ship's crew started loading bauxite, used to produce aluminum, from a local mining company despite cyclone warnings. During the early hours of Feb. 5, the ship was somehow cast adrift and was caught up in large swells whipped up by the cyclone before it ran aground on the atoll.

Initially, the freighter did not leak oil, but as it began to list several days later, the atoll's coral opened a large gash along the side of the ship, allowing oil to flow. About , extending nearly 4 miles from the abandoned freighter, Radio New Zealand reports.

The immediate response by the crew is under investigation, but negligence is believed to be a factor.

"The crew of the vessel left for the celebration of the Chinese New Year, that's what I heard when I was in Rennell," Colin Singamoana, the premier of Rennell Province, told Radio New Zealand.

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If claims that the crew did leave the ship unattended during the night of Feb. 5 prove to be true, it could be a breach of the international safety management code, noted Jonah Mitau, acting director of the Solomon Islands Maritime Safety administration.

Because of the storm, it took salvage crews several days before they could reach the Solomon Trader.

To make matters worse, the Bintan Mining Ltd. company, which chartered the vessel, continued to operate as the oil flowed into the sea, with other ships maneuvering around the wreckage, churning up the oil even more.

Rennell Island, known locally as Mugaba, lies in the southern Solomon Islands about 1,200 miles northeast of Brisbane, Australia. It occupies an area of 650 square miles and is home to about 1,840 people, many of whom rely on the sea for their livelihood. In fact, seafood is their primary source of protein.

Local residents and officials, both in Australia and New Zealand, are becoming increasingly angry at the "slow and evasive" response by the companies responsible for the spill, including Korea P&I Club, the South Korean insurance company.

"Our view is that the ship's owners and insurers need to play their part," Don Higgins, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, told Radio New Zealand.

King Trader and Korea P&I Club , expressing "deep remorse" and noting that they are "acutely aware of environmental damage and impacts to the local community."

The companies pointed out, however, that "matters of liability are yet to be determined."

The companies also claim the salvage response has been delayed because the vessel’s power is lost, the "remote and hazardous location has made it difficult to secure local resources and it’s been time-consuming bringing in resources from other locations." They also blamed inclement weather and dangerous conditions for the delayed response.

The apology has had little effect in allaying the anger and concerns of local resident and officials.

Singamoana said that the atoll is "part of our life."

"We usually use the reef. We also rely on seafood," he told Radio New Zealand. "They have to do something about it, especially to the local people who own the reefs. They did it."

Resident Paul Neil told the Guardian and children can no longer swim in the sea.

“Now we cannot use our sea and reef to do fishing and find shells to eat. We really suffered from it,” he said.

Another resident, Steward Seuika, told the newspaper they are even unable to drink from springs near the shore because they are contaminated by the oil. Instead, they must rely on rainwater.

“The oil slick affects our corals and marine life. It also contaminates our water which comes out from the stones on the land near the beach. So now we run out of clean water to drink.”

Authorities fear that unless something is done soon, the estimated 600 tons of oil remaining on the ship could be spilled, causing even more environmental damage.

“If there is a low tide in the coming months, the carrier may capsize. If the bulk carrier capsizes in the sea, it will cause another huge man-made disaster,” Job Hukaoana, the senior fisheries officer of Renbel province, told the Guardian.