Anchors away!

Ray Smuts
REPLACING AN anchor is a pretty costly business, so the last thought on P&O Nedlloyd’s mind was going shopping after the container vessel City of Cape Town had lost an anchor off her home port recently.
The ship was at anchor in Table Bay when a winch failed causing the 200 ton anchor and about 90 metres of chain - new replacement value about R1,2 million - to plunge some 27-metres to the ocean bed one nautical mile off Mouille Point.
The line contacted maritime lawyer P J Veldhuizen who drew up a salvage contract and hired salvage expert Des Mouton of Alternative Dive Supply and the Smit vessel Tempest. Finding the anchor was easy as it had been buoyed, and the salvage was completed in less than four hours.
Although Mouton has been in the salvage business for many years, raising the anchor of the City of Cape Town is a first for his new venture, an underwater marine division specialising in such disciplines as metal corrosion and underwater welding.