During the past year alone it has been revealed that at least four spills occurred, resulting in about three tons of oil being leaked into the ocean off Reunion Rocks A new single buoy mooring (SBM) is to be built off Durban's Isipingo beach, replacing a previous SBM erected more than 25 years ago, which is now seriously corroded.
The project to construct and place the new mooring will take eight months, with work commencing this month, according to a communique from Sapref, which operates a refinery opposite the Durban International Airport. This work involves cutting a gap in the Bluff behind the refinery, an area referred to as Ôsand dunes' by Sapref. The area is to be rehabilitated once work has been completed.
The SBM was originally built in 1970 to permit tankers too large to enter Durban to offload crude oil. Through a system of pipelines laid underwater more than 80% of the country's crude oil has since then been imported through this facility. Between 50 and 60 tankers call every year, and periodic spillages have taken place.
Details of these spills, and in fact the actual use of the SBM, were protected by the Official Secrets Act and received very little publicity, a feature that most oil companies would no doubt wish to retain. During the past year alone it has been revealed that at least four spills occurred, resulting in about three tons of oil being leaked into the ocean off Reunion Rocks. Sapref maintains it is equipped to handle spills of up to ten tons at a time and that no serious environmental damage has ever occurred.
The work is due for completion in August.
By Terry Hutson
