Taio Shipping’s MV Grinna II that ran aground on Manihiki’s reef late last month is now tied down to the reef with diesel removed.

Failed attempts to remove the ship from the reef were made on March 24 by two foreign fishing vessels.

Plans were made to drag the Grinna out to sea by two foreign fishing boats and sink the damaged vessel off the west side of the island. However, the passenger/cargo vessel could not be dislodged off the reef.

Taio Shipping owner Tapi Taio yesterday told Cook Islands News he could not say much about the situation but was waiting on the insurance company.

Taio said the situation was similar to Moana Nui, another Taio Shipping vessel that ran aground on Nassau in January 2017 and was removed two years later.

Manihiki island councillor John McLeod said the ship was tied down on the coral to prevent it from rolling.

“Nobody is happy about it being up there but we don’t have any choice, we just have to go with the flow.”

McLeod said the island council was waiting for the Ministry of Transport and Taio Shipping for plans to remove the ship.

He said most of the fuel was pumped out and it was not a risk to the environment.

“We don’t have to worry about the diesel, it’s just the ship being thrown about going further on the rocks,” he said.

McLeod said the ship’s walk-in freezer was also removed.

Another Taio Shipping vessel, Lady Moana, departed Rarotonga for Manihiki on Thursday and was expected to arrive last night on the island.

The ship will transport goods to Penrhyn that didn’t make it on the Grinna and are left on Manihiki.

Meanwhile, four people remain stuck on Rakahanga who were dropped by the Grinna to attend a funeral on the island.

Cook Islands News understands their options are either to fly back to Rarotonga or catch the barge, which will arrive at Rakahanga early May.