Pretoria: 12 July 2024
Work on extracting contents onboard a grounded Panama-flagged general cargo vessel, the MV Ultra Galaxy, now virtually beached almost on its side, in a remote coastal area of the Western Cape, South Africa, north west of Cape Town, is fully underway; says the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).
Contronted by bitterly cold, wet and very windy weather conditions – and predicted to endure till next week – in a remote coastal area known as Duiwegat, characterised by a patchy, rocky landscape with stretches of soft sandy beaches, teams of salvage workers began gathering en masse, with speed on Tuesday, with the single objective of relieving the stricken vessel of its cargo.
This, according to SAMSA, comprises mainly its low sulphur fuel, hydraulic oils and its shipment of fertiliser.
The work is being coordinated by an Incident Management Organisation (IMOrg) led team of officials and experts made up of representatives of diverse groups of stakeholders from both the public, private and nongovernmental sectors.
The IMOrg, led jointly by the Department of Transport and SAMSA, is South Africa’s joint Government and industry preparedness forum launched in 2017 for oil spills. Its membership is drawn broadly from across various sectors of society inclusive of State departments, private sector industries, enviromental groups, as well as other non-governmental institutions.
SAMSA reported in a statement late on Thursday that: “Salvage work is continuing on the stricken Panama-flagged cargo ship, MV Ultra Galaxy, which has gone aground off the coast of Duiwegat just South of Brand se Baai on the West Coast.
“Expert salvage teams are now on site conducting a survey of the surrounding areas and the vessel. All efforts are currently focused on preparing the equipment that will allow salvors to access the vessel once the heavy weather subsides.
“Pollution clean-up teams are already working on removing flotsam from the beaches. Additionally, SAMSA has issued a Navigation Warning to all ships in the area to be on the lookout for any flotsam, as these may present a danger to navigation,” said SAMSA.
According to SAMSA, the 124.56-meter-long general cargo vessel built in 2008, was sailing to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania when it was abandoned by its crew of 18 Filipino seafarers after developing an excessive list followed by a subsequent grounding at 22h06 (local time) on Tuesday evening.
A preliminary assessment established that the vessel, positioned approximately 60 nautical miles west of Doring Bay at the time of its rendering a casualty, had a full load of fertilizer in bags on board, in addition to its own low sulphur bunkering fuel and hydraulic and related oils, said SAMSA
After abandoning the vessel, its 18 crew members, all Filipinos, were safely rescued from a life raft and evacuated first to St Helena Bay where they received routine medical attention and attendant hospitality.
With the crew safely rescued, said SAMSA: “all efforts are now fully focused on salvaging the vessel. Further details will be shared as they become available.”
End.