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.
