Plans are underway to begin moving oil from the stranded ship Rena tonight. The MV Rena hit the well-charted Astrolabe Reef off the Bay Of Plenty coast on Wednesday.

Maritime New Zealand has announced another vessel is alongside the ship now, and preparations are being made for an oil transfer.

Spokesman Bruce Anderson says 25 international salvage experts are working to resolve the situation. He says the first priority to remove the oil, the second to move the containers to lighten the load, then to remove the vessel from the reef.

Mr Anderson says the ship is stable at the moment, and the oil transfer will take around 40 hours.

There is however a huge quantity of oil sitting in the hull at the bottom of the ship, which is spilling into the ocean. That oil is expected to reach the shore, and could hit Papamoa Beach by Wednesday. A forecast nor’easterly change in the weather will exacerbate that situation.

So far some eight birds have been taken to a special centre to be cleaned. That facility can handle up to 500, and has already had over 200 people volunteer to help.