Edited by Bev Mortimer – About 13 cubic meters of fuel has been removed from the onboard tanks of the fishing vessel ‘Elke M’ following its grounding on rocks at Shark Point , in St Francis in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, on 7 January, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) says.
of South Africa on 7 January 2024 – Photo: Barry Culligan
“The protection of the environment and removal of onboard fuel and pollutants remains the priority of the salvage operation and progress continues to be made. A helicopter is continuing to assist in the transfer of equipment to the vessel and in the removal of bulk IBC containers containing fuel.
“Floating debris (flotsam) washed off of the vessel by high swells since the grounding is being collected by a boat dispatched yesterday. This includes fishing nets, buoys and other smaller items which can also be expected to wash ashore in the days ahead and will be collected, “SAMSA says.
SAMSA appeals to recreational cyclists and hikers in the nature reserve to refrain from entering the demarcated landing site at the Shark Point parking lot at the end of St Francis Drive. This is for their own safety as well as the safety of all operational personnel and to ensure fuel removal operations are uninterrupted.
” Traffic and Law Enforcement officials are on site to assist. Thanks are extended to the residents of St Francis Bay and Cape St Francis for their continued support during the operation,” SAMSA says.
SAMSA will continue monitoring the operation, working in collaboration with the Incident Management Structure (IMS). This includes Owners, the insurers (P&I Club), municipality officials, the NSRI, salvors AMSOL, environmental management organisations, and other relevant parties.
The municipality announced this afternoon that a section of the Cape St Francis Nature Reserve (Shark Point Trail) will be closed for cyclist and pedestrians due to ongoing operations to remove the fuel from the fishing vessel ‘Elke M’ .
The grounded boat had 24 crew on board when she ran aground 1 mile from Port St Francis at 11.30 on 7 January at night. All crew members were brought to safety after they abandoned ship.
See previous two articles on the Elke:
https://stfrancischronicle.com/2024/01/12/st-francis-bay-progress-on-removing-pollutants-from-elke-m-boat/
