The arduous task of offloading chemical cargo that caught alight last October on board the NS Qingdao, which is currently docked at the Port of Saldanha, could take another two to three weeks the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said this week.
This comes six weeks after the Marshall Islands-registered vessel first set anchor in SA, only to prove a major headache after its cargo, a chemical product, reacted to rainwater at the first attempt to offload in Durban last October.
Samsa said the incident had set in motion “one of the most intense, delicate and time-consuming unstable cargo containment exercises ever undertaken by authorities in recent times”.
In a statement, Samsa said the offloading of the waste cargo was ongoing at Saldanha Bay.
“Operations are proceeding in a safe and well-coordinated manner and good progress has been made.”
Samsa said by March 1, approximately half of the cargo in cargo hold number three had been discharged and disposed of at Vissershok High Hazardous Waste Management Site. Wastewater will also be pumped into tanks and sent for disposal at the same waste management site.
“It is anticipated that once the vessel is alongside a berth it would take approximately two to three weeks to discharge the remaining waste cargo from the ship and dispose of it at Vissershok. The vessel will then be inspected by Samsa and its classification society to ensure she is safe to continue her voyage to Brazil to discharge remaining cargo on board,” Samsa said.
The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and Environment (DFFE) has reached an agreement with the vessel’s owners and P&I Club, according to Samsa, “to implement a medium- to long-term environmental monitoring programme so that any potential immediate and future impacts can be assessed and mitigated”.
“The P&I (Protection and Indemnity) Club’s appointed environmental specialists, in collaboration with DFFE, are continuously monitoring the coast and sea area to determine any threats to the marine environment resulting from the emergency disposal of cargo dumped approximately 250 kilometres offshore.
“To date, satellite imaging shows no immediate indications of harmful effects to the receiving environment or marine life,” Samsa said.
The Marshall Islands Flag State Investigation team have also started looking into the cause of the fire. The investigation is expected to continue for the next few months.
Samsa said it was sharing available information with the vessel’s flag state.
It is expected that the detailed investigation will take an estimated 12 months to complete and that the final report will be shared with Samsa.
“Samsa would like to thank the salvage team on board, who, at great peril to themselves, risked everything to successfully bring this emergency situation under control where normal cargo operations could continue.
“The vessel owner continues to co-operate with all authorities and has covered all expenses to date regarding this salvage operation,” Samsa said.
