The cargo vessel , Rena , hit a reef off Tauranga in clear conditions on October 5 . He and second officer plead guilty to charges of operating a vessel in dangerous manner . The men will be sentenced on May 2018 , with the heaviest maximum penalty seven years imprisonment . Massive salvage and clean - up operations along New Zealand coast are still underway .
He and second officer plead guilty to charges of operating a vessel in dangerous manner . The men will be sentenced on May 2018 , with the heaviest maximum penalty seven years imprisonment . Massive salvage and clean - up operations along New Zealand coast are still underway .