Ill-fated oil rig returns to CT repair station

RAY SMUTS THE SWIFT return visit by the oil rig Pride South Sea to the port of Cape Town last week was unexpected, to say the least. She had only sailed a month previously after extensive maintenance (FTW August 26, 2005). The vessel was spotted last week off Cape Town’s Atlantic Seaboard, towed by the tugs Smit Amandla and the Malaviya Twenty One, mooring in Duncan Dock shortly afterwards. The oil rig is contracted to PetroSA and expected to spend about 18 months off the southern Cape coast. PetroSA would not allow media to board the rig or interview the crew but one report has it a faulty valve in one of the pods may have been behind the problem. The Pride South Sea’s return is certainly good news for the Mother City ship repair industry and the port of Cape Town which is focusing on the West African oil and gas exploration business.