Stormy waves have broken apart the MV Ultra Galaxy, leading to an oil spill off South Africa’s west coast where the vessel ran aground earlier this month, according to a report released by the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) on Sunday.
Samsa said that salvage work on the grounded Panama-flagged general cargo vessel, which has been beached on its side in a remote area of the West Coast since early July, had “taken a turn” after the vessel broke apart in stormy weather, leading to an oil spill.
The authority said it had immediately activated a previously prepared oil spill contingency plan that involved enlisting 125 people from local communities to support the mop-up phase that started on Sunday morning.
“The grounded Panama-flagged cargo ship, MV Ultra Galaxy, has broken into four sections overnight, leading to an oil spill. All attempts are being made to contain the spill within the immediate area, and cleaning operations will continue,” Samsa said.
“A full assessment is currently being conducted by both aerial and surface surveys. This follows the severe and disruptive weather that continues to batter the Western and Northern Cape coastlines.”
“At one stage, 6.8-metre swells struck the wreck every 15 seconds, and the massive force of this constant battering caused the accommodation (section) to first break off, which then led to a number of larger cracks on the hull, forward of the accommodation,” Samsa said.
The authority added that salvors had managed to remove several lube oil drums and about eight tonnes of marine gas oil from the wreck’s fuel tanks last week.
“All essential resources needed to deal with the oil spill have been mobilised. An Orange level six warning for damaging winds and waves was issued earlier in the week, with conditions expected to last until Monday, with the swell subsiding by Wednesday. Active salvage work will resume once it is safe to access the wreck,” said Samsa.
The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds was on standby to respond should seabirds become affected.
Meanwhile, the authority has urged members of the public on the West Coast, from Brand se Baai to St Helena Bay, to look out for any debris that may wash up on the beach, such as cargo bags, steel hatch covers, and other flotsam. Any findings should be reported to Samsa through the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre on (021) 938 3300 or (012) 938 3303.
“The public is also advised not to attempt to salvage any debris themselves. It is important to properly dispose of any debris to minimise harm to people and the environment,” Samsa said.
