Lightening of Agulhas proceeds to plan

… but vessel won’t budge
RAY SMUTS
DESPITE SEVERAL fruitless attempts to free the container ship Safmarine Agulhas, firmly aground on a sandbank near the East London harbour, offloading of fuel and cargo to lighten the stricken 1 680TEU vessel is proceeding to plan. At week’s end (July 7) a media release issued by the official salvors, Smit Salvage, reported that the grounding forces on the vessel, combined with the continuous effect of sea action in what is an exposed location, were beginning to have a “detrimental effect” on the vessel’s structural integrity. Speaking to FTW at deadline on Monday (July 10), Clare Gomes, marketing and communications manager for Smit Salvage, said weekend operations to remove fuel and cargo had gone well. All the deck cargo (277 containers) has been cleared and the removal of cargo in the two dry holds – the other two are flooded, as is the engine room – is under way. Safmarine Agulhas’s engines apparently failed as she was departing East London, bound for Durban, on the night of June 26, and she ended up on a sandbank just off the Western breakwater, losing her bulbous bow in the process. The vessel was carrying 469 containers of varied cargo, including some hazardous materials, and 112 empty containers. “The salvage team is using pumps to ensure the stability and angle of the vessel which is being monitored on-board by a naval architect.” Gomes says if the vessel deteriorates any further, future re-floating attempts may have to be delayed in order to ensure that fuel and cargo removal operations are completed. The three-point salvage plan is to refloat the vessel and remove the fuel – 662 tons of heavy fuel, 88 tons of diesel and 37 tons of lubrication oils – and the cargo. The Department of Transport contract standby tug, Smit Amandla, has been in attendance since June 25, holding the damaged vessel off the breakwater.