'Hazardous material' on stranded ship

2003-08-19 19:25

Tisha Steyn

Cape Town - Thirty three of the containers on the Maersk Sealand Express stranded in the Table Bay Harbour contain "hazardous material", Sapa reported on Tuesday evening.

Debbie Owen, spokesperson for shipping line Safmarine, which has cargo on the vessel, told a talk radio show on Tuesday evening that as far as Safmarine and Maersk were aware there was no military hardware on the vessel.

"We can confirm that there are no arms on board. There has been no declaration," she said. Most of the cargo was general cargo, but 33 of the containers were labelled "hazardous". These contained mixed industrial chemicals, she said.

News24 earlier reported that the Maersk line has close links with the US army, and has dedicated vessels that carry ammunition for the US.

The Maersk website states: "These vessels operate in a prepositioned capacity. They provide transport and storage for rolling stock, breakbulk, containers and ammunition for the US Army and Marine Corps, as well as ocean surveillance and radar support to the US Navy."

Maersk says it has "a diverse fleet of vessels", all of which are registered in the US and crewed by US merchant mariners.

"Our vessels are engaged globally, providing sealift support for the US military, ocean surveillance, charter and inducement services, liner services and access to the world's most comprehensive transportation network through Maersk Sealand."

It also says all of its vessels are operated under "our safety management system" and are in full compliance with International Maritime Organisation standards.

White goods

A source involved in shipping told News24 on Tuesday evening said he suspected there was "general cargo" on board. These could include fresh fruit, machinery, and "white goods", which refer to kitchen equipment, ie refrigerators, washing machines, etc.

"I don't believe the ship is carrying Class1 goods - ammunition," the source said.

According to the International Maritine Organisation, goods are graded from 1 to 9, with one being explosives, and 9 being minimally hazardous.

The ship apparently had no time to enter the harbour overnight. It was overcome by gale force winds, lashing rain and swells in excess of 5m. It dragged its anchor and ran aground at Sunset Beach in Milnerton 06:30 on Tuesday morning. The crew is on board and in no real danger.

Helmoed Röomer-Heitman, the SA representative of Jane's Defence Weekly, said if the ship was carrying explosives, these would have been declared. Arms, however, do not have to be declared. If a ship was merely calling, it wasn't necessary to declare cargo either, unless it included explosives. Romer-Heitman said ammunition would have "low vulnerability", which would not easily detonate, and would not necessarily hold any danger under the conditions.

Salvage

The John Ross salvage vessel is on its way to the stranded ship. It will attempt to get the vessel afloat during the next high tide at 22:00. It would be a normal high tide, but the seas have calmed, and it would be easier to attempt to salvage it.

The ship is embedded at least 6m into the sand, the source said, and it would take quite an effort to move it into deep water again.

The vessel would be moved into the harbour, where it would be offloaded, before it goes into dry dock to make sure there are no leaks.

The source told News24 that a close eye would be kept to make sure the containers are safe. If any containers fell off during the rescue operation, security guards would be immediately posted to secure the content.

- News24