Tag: Northern Cape coastline

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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Grounded general cargo vessel broken apart by waves on South Africa’s west coast, national oil spill contingency plan activated: SAMSA

Pretoria: 28 July 2024

Salvage work on the grounded Panama-flagged general cargo vessel, MV Ultra Galaxy, beached on its side in a remote area of South Africa’s west coast since early July, has taken another turn after the vessel broke apart due to yet another spell of a stormy wintry weather at the weekend, leading to an oil spillage, SAMSA reported on Sunday.

In a statement released in Cape Town on Sunday afternoon, SAMSA said that as a direct result of this latest incident, an oil spill contingency plan had been immeditately activated, with as many as 125 people from local communities enlisted in the mop up phase.

Said SAMSA: “The grounded Panama-flagged cargo ship, MV Ultra Galaxy, has broken into four sections overnight, leading to an oil spill. All attempts are being made to contain the spill within the immediate area, and cleaning operations will continue.

“A full assessment is currently being conducted by both aerial and surface surveys. This follows the severe and disruptive weather that continues to batter the Western and Northern Cape coastlines.

“At one stage, 6.8-meter swells struck the wreck every 15 seconds, and the massive force of this constant battering caused the accommodation (section) to first break off, which then led to a number of larger cracks on the hull, forward of the accommodation.

“A pre-prepared Oil Spill Contingency Plan was initiated this (Sunday) morning, and additional personnel have been drafted in to assist with cleaning the spill. One hundred and twenty-five (125) people were recruited from the local community to assist with the clean-up operation, and the communities in the area have been very supportive throughout this operation,” said SAMSA.

According to SAMSA, this latest development occurred just after earlier in the week, salvors had managed to remove several lube oil drums and about eight (8) tons of marine gas oil from the fuel tanks of the wreck.

“All essential resources needed to deal with the oil spill have been mobilized. The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) remains on standby, ready to respond should seabirds become affected.

“An Orange level 6 warning for damaging winds and waves was issued earlier in the week, with conditions expected to last until Monday, with the swell subsiding by Wednesday. Active salvage work will resume once it is safe to access the wreck,” said SAMSA.

Meanwhile, 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. SAMSA said 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 also advised not to attempt to salvage any debris themselves. It is important to properly dispose of any debris to minimize harm to people and the environment. Further details will be shared as they become available,” said SAMSA

End.