Ray Smuts THE once-stranded container ship Sea-Land Express was due to leave Cape Town for Durban under tow last week due to the Mother City port’s inability to accommodate her for repairs. This scenario once again highlights the kind of pressures under which the port operates for ship repair with bookings having to be made as long as eight months ahead and up to 160 vessels being turned away each year. The larger 360-metre long Sturrock Dry Dock, the only facility capable of accommodating the 32 629 gross ton vessel, is heavily committed, hence the decision by the disponent owners US Ship Management Inc. to have her repaired in Durban rather than wait for the dock to become available. The tow by the powerful Smit salvage tug John Ross could last around six days taking into account the powerful Aghulhas current between Port Elizabeth and Durban and at an estimated cost of possibly up to US$180 000. Salvage expert Godfrey Needham says damage to the vessel has been assessed and her propeller braced to prevent it from turning during the tow, in addition to which a hole in the number two ballast tank has been sealed. The Sea-Land Express’s rudder operating mechanism will have to be repaired, two bent propeller blades straightened and her starboard bilge keel replaced in whole or in part. She could spend a month in Durban before setting sail for the United States. The vessel ran aground at Sunset Beach near Cape Town on the morning of August 19 after dragging her anchor during a storm, in so doing becoming one of the hottest tourist attractions in the Peninsula.
