Tag: Incident Management Organisation

Oil spill in Algoa Bay under investigation: SAMSA

(SAMSA file photo)

Pretoria: 10 September 2024

The South Africa Incident Management Organisation (IMOrg) has launched an investigation into an oily substance spillage believed to have come from a vehicle transportation vessel that was anchored in Algoa Bay on Saturday afternoon, reports the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).

The oily substance, and whose exact quantity has yet to be established, said SAMSA; was reported after a vessel in the Algoa Bay spotted oil like blobs and an oily sheen on the water, and following to which TNPA Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) investigated.

“The preliminary investigation by the response craft, found an oily substance on the water at about 5pm on Saturday. The launch reported that the oily substance on water was coming from the Motor Vessel (MV) MSC Apollo.

“However, due to the onset of darkness late Saturday, further investigation was postponed. During the course of the Saturday evening SAMSA approached the vessel insurers to provide oil spill trajectory modelling from ITOPF (International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited). This would ensure that the next day’s spill response, would be focused in the appropriate area.

Early on Sunday, SAMSA reported that an Incident Management meeting was held by the IMOrg members, consisting of SAMSA, TNPA, DFFE, SANPARKS Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), as well as the vessel agent and vessel insurer’s representatives in South Africa.

IMOrg, a virtual organisation chaired by the Department of Transport (DoT) and SAMSA as the co-chair and secretariat, is South Africa’s preparedness forum for Government and industry joint response to oil spills within South Africa’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of approximately 1.5-million km² across the Atlantic, Southern and Indian Oceans.

IMOrg’ s membership is drawn from across various sectors of society inclusive of State departments including the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment and public institutions, private companies as well as non-governmental organisations. IMOrg is responsible for implementation of South Africa’s national oil spill contingency plan (NOSCP).

“During the meeting,” said SAMSA: ” arrangements were made to speedily launch the necessary efforts to both determine the cause of the oil spillage from the MSC Apollo, the extent of the reported oil spill, as well as how to contain its spread in the Algoa Bay region and to protect the wildlife on the nearby islands of St Croix and Bird Island.

“Surveillance would involve sea patrols by boat, aerial surveillance by helicopter and drones launched from oil response boats as well as coastal foot patrols along the beach areas that were identified by ITOPF is likely to be impacted.

“A surveillance flight by rotary wing aircraft was carried out on Sunday afternoon in strong winds. The flight plan was directed by the results of the ITOPF modelling and included the St Croix Island group. The flight was attended by Officials from SANPARKS and SAMSA. No oil or oily sheen was spotted. The SANPARKS rangers conducted a foot patrol of the beaches between the Port of Ngqura and Sundays River. No oil was spotted.

“At the 2nd Incident Management meeting on Monday morning, it was agreed to attempt to clean the stains off the hull of the MSC Apollo while she was at anchor to stop any oily sheen being transferred to the water. The cleaning of the hull could no to be done on Sunday due to rough seas.

“The weather is expected to subside by Tuesday, and this will allow the SANPARKS rangers to access the St Croix Island group. In preparation for the landing of the SANPARKS rangers tomorrow, the vessel insurers have agreed to provide a drone to scan the islands for any oiled birds. This will help inform the planning of any oiled wildlife response by SANPARKS and SANCCOB

“The public is requested to inform SANCCOB of any oiled birds spotted along the coast. Oiled mammals can be reported to the officials from Bay World. More details shall be made as and when received,” said SAMSA

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Unfavourable inclement weather holds incessant risk to salvage work on grounded cargo vessel on South Africa’s west coast. SALVOS

Pretoria: 06 August 2024

Salvage work on the grounded Panama-registered general cargo vessel, the MV Ultra Galaxy is expected to progress again this week after yet another bout of a stormy wintry weather that engulfed South Africa’s west coast at the weekend.

Leadership of a salvage team working on the vessel since early July 2024, on Friday cited inciscent poor weather conditions at this time of the year as the biggest challenfe to efforts at off loading the vessel’s cargo – all since lost at sea – as well as its fuel and oils, also some which of spillled out at sea after some storage tanks were breached about a week ago.

The concession came during an onsite national media briefing organised jointly by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) and the Incident Management Organisation (IMOrg) at the remote location of the beached vessel, some 300km north west of Cape Town.

Represented were various members of the institutions and companies involved inclusive of the salvage and oil spill management companies, vessel insurers, the Deparment of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) and others.

In his welcoming remarks of the national media corps of journalists, SAMSA Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr Tau Morwe said the media’s full exposure to the site as well as environmental conditions relevant and impacting the salvage work, was based on an intention to ‘ensure transparency.”

Mr Morwe described the need for complete transparency with the work as essential to ensuring both the media and the general public’s full understanding and appreciation of the conditions under which the grounded vessel’s salvage work was being conducted in the interest of ensuring environmental safety. For his full remarks, click on the video below.

Meanwhile, Smit Salvage South Africa general manager, Mr Richard Robertson described at length the enormous challenges presented by inclement winter weather conditions underwhich the teams were currently confronted by in their efforts to retrieve the vessel’s fuels and oils.

According to Mr Robertson, after managing initially to retrieve about eight (tons) of lubricating oils and low sulphur fuels a week or so ago, days of inclement weather descended on the ocean area, eventually leaving the vessel battered and in the process, breaking into four pieces.

This, he said, led to a breach of some of fuel and oils holding tanks resulting in a spillage that has since soiled the adjacent coastal area and about which a major clean up had since ensued, said Mr Robertson.

It’s not called the Cape of Storms for no reason!

“It is not called the Cape of Storms for no reason,” he said, with an admission that it was daunting task ahead of them to complete the salvage work, after which the wreck would be removed.

However, Mr Robertson expressed gratitude that all relevant parties involved and engaged in the work were fully supporting of cooperative with each other, inclusive of the local community whose +200 member strong team was assisting with the oil spillage clean-up, with support of local authorities.

For his full 14 minutes of the account since the teams started, click on the video below.

More coverage of the media briefing by this blog will follow this article.

This shall include interviews with the vessel insurer’s representative and Managing Director of 2Oceans P&I Correspondents, Mr Michael Heads, Salvage Master at Smit Salvage South Africa, Mr Rudolph Pint, SAMSA Chief Operations Officer, Mr Sobantu Tilayi and Mr Siboniso Ngema, Commercial and Human Resources director at SpillTech.

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Oil spill clean-up underway on South Africa’s west coast after the weekend break-up of grounded Panama flagged cargo vessel, MV Ultra Galaxy: SAMSA

The grounded MV Ultra Galaxy on its side and fragmented into four (4) pieces after the stormy weather on South Africa’s west coast this past weekend and whose massive ocean water waves resulted in the rapture of onethe caualty vessel’s oil tanks. (Photo: SAMSA)

Pretoria: 30 July 2024

Coastal clean-up operations are ramping up on South Africa’s west coast after an oil-spill caused by the break-up of a grounded Panama-registered general cargo vessel, the MV Ultra Galaxy due to battering by massive waves associated with a cold front that enveloped the western and northern Cape regions this past weekend, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) reported on Monday.

According to SAMSA this immediately led to the deployment of the country’s Oil Spill Contingency Plan to mop up the oil spill in the adjoining coastal area, and which entailed the massing of manpower that initially involved some 125 people sourced from the local communities.

The national plan is managed by the country’s interim Incident Management Organisation (IMOrg), a virtual organisation chaired by the Department of Transport (DoT) and SAMSA, as the co-chair and secretariat.

Launched in 2017, with its membership drawn broadly from across various sectors of society inclusive of State departments, private sector industries as well as non-governmental institutions, it is South Africa’s preparedness forum for joint Government and industry response to oil spills within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of approximately 1.5-million km² across the Atlantic, Southern and Indian Oceans.

In a statement on Monday evening SAMSA said: “Clean-up operations continued throughout Monday (29 July 2024) following the oil spill from the grounded Panama-flagged cargo ship, MV Ultra Galaxy.

“Clean-up teams, comprising of salvors and 125 local community members, have been diligently working to remove the oil that washed up onto the beach, covering an area of approximately one kilometre south of the wreck.

“The heavy swells and wind waves assisted in washing the oil onto the immediate beach, preventing any oil from drifting seawards and further down the coastline.

“The clean-up team will be increased tomorrow (Tuesday) as the operation continues throughout the week. The waste will be disposed-off in a responsible manner, as per the incident specific waste management plan. Because the oil has congealed into tar balls, it is making it easier to collect it from the sand.

Reflecting briefly on how the dreaded break-up of the 124.56-meter-long general cargo vessel, built in 2008, occured at the weekend, after a couple or so weeks since its grounding on 09 July 2024, while en route to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania with fertiliser cargo onboard, and with salvage work having already begun, SAMSA attributed it to bad weather.

Said SAMSA: “Severe and disruptive weather that battered the Western and Northern Cape coastline and over the past three (3) days caused the vessel to break into four (4) sections and one fuel tank ruptured causing an oil spill on to the immediate beach area.”

Meanwhile, with the oil spill mop up phase ramping up, said SAMSA: “Continuous monitoring of the vessel is being conducted through both aerial and surface surveys to track the extent of the spill and its environmental impact.

“The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB), in conjunction with the Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry, and Fisheries, remains on standby.

Images of the grounded Panama-registered MV Ultra Galaxy as well as the oil soaked part of the coast line on South Africa’s west coast after the stormy weather this past weekend and whose massive ocean waves tore the vessel apart in four (4) places, leading to an oil spill from one of its raptured tanks. (Photos: SAMSA)

“They are planning to set up a temporary stabilization facility in Lamberts Bay to respond swiftly should seabirds become affected by the spill as a precautionary measure. Active salvage work was paused due to the inclement weather and will resume once conditions allow safe access to the wreck.

“Members of the public on the west Coast, from Brand se Baai to St Helena Bay, are requested to look out for any debris that may wash up on the beach, such as cargo bags, steel hatch covers, and other flotsam.

“Any findings should be reported to SAMSA through the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) at 021 938 3300 or 012 938 3303. The public is advised not to attempt to salvage any debris themselves, as proper disposal is crucial to minimize harm to people and the environment,” said SAMSA, further committing to keeping the public updated of developments subject to availability of details.

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UPDATE 3: Salvage of grounded Panama-flagged cargo vessel, MV Ultra Galaxy, fully underway on Cape’s west coast: SAMSA

The Panama flagged general cargo vessel, MV Ultra Galaxy in its beaching position after its grounding late on Tuesday night in remote coastal area of South Africa’s west coast, known as Duiwegat. (Photo: Supplied)

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.