So far so good for stricken bulk carrier

RAY SMUTS WHEN THIS issue went to press on Monday morning (May 17) most of the 1800 tons of fuel oil had been pumped from the stricken bulk carrier Cape Africa, triggering the next phase of the operation - towing her to False Bay for repairs at sea. Saldanha was also considered for repairs to the gaping 20-metre hole in the 150 000-ton vessel’s number three hold, possibly caused by a freak wave. Saldanha port manager Eugene Kearns told FTW last Friday evening that a number of conditions had been placed by the NPA on the vessel entering Saldanha. “This included a maximum draught of 22 metres, and since she was beyond that she would not have been able to get through the channel. “There were also a lot of other high risks to be considered including pollution or sinking, and while we would have been eager to make extra money, I am pleased with the alternative decided upon.” As the vessel’s bow is heavier due to water entering, she is being towed stern first by the salvage tug Smit Amandla to a point about three kilometres southwest of Simon’s Town. A cofferdam is being built in 11 segments in Durban and will be brought by road to Cape Town. Once in place against the side of the damaged hull, water will be pumped out allowing the Dormac repair team to work in a dry vacuum. All the fuel tanks will be sealed to prevent what little oil remains on board escaping, but the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa is seeking assurances that there will be very little risk of the ship sinking in ecologically sensitive False Bay. It is insisting that a tug be on standby at all times in the event of the weather turning really nasty. The Taiwanese-owned Cape Africa, built in 1991, was on her way from Brazil to the Far East with a cargo or iron ore when her master alerted the authorities to the vessel’s plight.