RMS Niagara wreck at risk of oil spill

[nzoomed]

Seriously? Maritime NZ said "it was unlikely that the bulk of the remaining oil would be released at one time"...I'm certainly not an expert but even I know that all it would take is an extra strong  earthquake or storm to do just that.

We're idiots...

I guess there is a bit of a big unknown about how much fuel is left, did many people survey the wreck during the war to see if any oil was released at the time?
I guess its possible its been slowly leaking oil the whole 80 years thats passed and not much remains.
What we should already have a good idea about is if the oil thats being released is increasing or not, in theory it should be getting worse over time if the ship is deteriorating.
Thats why a survey is needed, my main concern is if they drill into the ships fuel bunker like whats being proposed, it could inadvertently cause a huge release of oil which would be undesirable.
Probably best to consult some experts on the matter.
I see they were talking about the possibility of getting the navy involved which would be a good option that should not cost the govt much, the big question is if they have the resources required.
We really need a sat dive team and/or underwater ROVs to investigate, there must be people involved with this sort of work elsewhere around the globe.