The South African Maritime Safety Authority’s (Samsa) investigation into the FV Silver Dorado fire and grounding near Cape Recife is continuing as teams make steady progress with clean-up and recovery operations.
The vessel, which was carrying
approximately 14 tonnes of diesel fuel, 100 litres of lubricants, and eight 19kg LPG gas cylinders, was grounded on the evening of January 12 after a fire broke out on board.
All 21 crew members were evacuated and transferred, uninjured, to Gqeberha port on the same night. No fish cargo was on board.
Samsa said beach clean-up teams continued with operations throughout this week and that collected debris had been prepared for disposal once it had been assessed by the investigation team.
“Larger wreckage pieces are being cut for removal. Offshore monitoring by Xtreme Zero (a spill response and marine salvage company) has reported no new debris since Saturday.
“Environmental monitoring by SANCCOB continues, with no oiled wildlife detected. Birds recovered to date show no signs of contamination,” the maritime authority said.
“Safety remains stable, with no incidents reported among responders. Operations continue to be guided by weather conditions, which are being closely monitored.”
From a financial perspective, the owner of the vessel, Talhado, had declared the incident a constructive total loss, triggering the hull insurance claim process, said Samsa.
A wreck removal directive has been issued and preparation for transition to removal phase is under way.
“Samsa’s investigation, including interviews and technical assessments, is ongoing,” said the authority.
Talhado earlier said it was working closely with Samsa and the authorities during the investigation and that it was engaging with the fishermen and their families to support them.
“Until this investigation is concluded, it would be premature and inappropriate to speculate on the cause of the fire and Talhado will therefore not comment further on this aspect at this stage,” said the company.
