Sealand still stuck in the sand

2003-09-02 08:12

Carel van Dyk

Cape Town - It's exactly two weeks since the Sealand Express cargo ship broke free from its anchor during a storm in Table Bay and beached at Milnerton.

More than 3 500 tons of oil have been pumped from the ship and a start has been made to unload dangerous cargo.

Salvage teams have not yet been able to tow the container ship back into deeper waters. A huge cargo helicopter has taken the contents of three containers to land, but inclement weather put a stop to that on Monday.

Smit Marine, in charge of the salvage operation, managed to move the ship's nose so that it now faces 25 degrees seawards. A dredger, the HAM 316, is working nonstop to pump as much sand as possible from the Sealand Express's port side, while a tug is ensuring that the ship doesn't drift towards the shore.

Smit Marine will attempt again at springtide, between September 9 and 11, to move the Sealand Express. If enough sand can be shifted and the weather plays along, the salvage team can even try again before September 9.

Trucking the cargo off

If these attempts are not successful, Smit Marine is also making plans to move the Sealand Express's cargo. One option is to build a causeway from the beach to the ship. Huge cranes will be mounted on the causeway to assist in moving the cargo and open the 30 ton doors of the hold.

The plan is to build the causeway to allow trucks to drive to the ship to transport the containers on board back to land.

The Department of Environmental Affairs said earlier that if it received comprehensive plans for such a causeway and a commitment that the area would be rehabilitated afterwards, it would issue an acquittance permit for the obligatory environmental impact study it usually requires.

- Beeld