Port of PE provides safe haven for damaged ship

ED RICHARDSON WINTER STORMS off the East Cape coast have claimed a second victim this winter. The first - the 33000-ton car carrier Modern Drive - was left floundering off East London after a fire in the engine room at the end of May. It was taken to Port Elizabeth for repairs. In the second incident, the brand new 5 548-ton Beluga Satisfaction, which was built this year in Japan, took shelter in Port Elizabeth harbour on Tuesday, June 19, after her forward section was flooded. She was battling against a 35-knot westerly wind and five-metre-high swells 60 miles south of Cape St. Francis in the early hours of the morning when a fire broke out in the engine room, according to Port Authority spokesperson Lize Hayward. After the fire was put out, the ship sent a Mayday signal and headed straight for PE. Hayward says the vessel will also be repaired in Port Elizabeth. The Beluga SatisfactionÕs last port of call was Durban. It is a general cargo vessel which carries heavy duty lifting equipment. She has a length of 122 metres and is registered in Antigua.