Edit by Bev Mortimer -Progress is being made in the removal of pollutants from the fishing vessel ‘Elke M’ that ran aground at St Francis Bay on Saturday night, South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), says.
Operations to remove the pollutants resumed this morning after being suspended late yesterday due to bad weather. A helicopter assisted in the transfer of equipment to the vessel earlier in the day, and the pumping of onboard fuel into 4 bulk IBC containers was completed.
Today, the bulk containers containing fuel will be landed ashore in the demarcated landing site while operations continue onboard. The process of removing the pollutants is a priority, with the initial focus being the 35 tonnes of diesel on board. The vessel ‘Mysie’ arrived onsite yesterday to provide assistance to the salvage operation and conduct an oil pollution watch, following the release of the ‘Umkhuseli’.
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. Environmental protection and safety of personnel remain the key priority for all stakeholders.
The vessel had 24 crew on board when she ran aground 1 mile from Port St Francis at 22h30 on Saturday night. All were brought to safety after they abandoned ship.
See article: https://stfrancischronicle.com/2024/01/07/fishing-trawler-runs-aground-at-shark-point-st-francis-crew-safe/
