Saldanha doubles spillage pollution assault

TRANSNET NATIONAL Ports Authority has extended the scope of its spillage pollution prevention measures by appointing two specialist companies at the port of Saldanha, major departure point for South Africa’s iron ore exports. Agreements have been concluded with O il Pollution Control SA, a state enterprise affiliated to the C entral Energy Fund and Enviro-serve Waste Management. T he two companies will act as an adjunct to rather than in competition with each other. As to the seriousness, or otherwise, of oil spills at Saldanha, Eugene Kearns, Saldanha port manager, tells FTW he can only recall one incident fairly recently, attended to immediately by OPC. “We regard any oil spill as serious,” he told FTW. Since the emphasis is on prevention of incidents, some proactive measures already in place at the port include: ● U pgraded vessel tracking equipment (port control) by way of an Automatic Identification System (AIS), designed to reduce the risk of vessel collision. ● A dedicated pollution control officer who inspects each vessel on entering port and performs tanker watch during loading/offloading at the tanker berth. As to the cleanliness of Saldanha waters, Kearns says the port has received a “clean bill of health" in a recent report by the Saldanha Bay Water Quality T rust, a public body focusing on water quality monitoring.