Barge not a pollution risk

2009-06-25 07:28

Tisha Steyn

George - The barge which ran aground in rough seas at Brenton on Sea holds no risk of pollution.

"The cargo consists of containers with construction equipment, which was under way from Maputo, Mozambique, to Port Harcourt in Nigeria," said Captain Nigel Campbell.

He is the regional manager of the southern district of the South African Maritime Authority (Samsa). There were no people on board.

At about 02:30 on Wednesday the vessel broke loose from the tugboat Hako 18, which had earlier asked permission from the Mossel Bay port authority to seek shelter there from the stormy seas and wind.

Smit Amandla Marine's tugboat, Pentow Skua, attempted but failed to reconnect the vessel to the Hako 18.

The barge ran aground in waves over five metres high, about 40m from the coastline.

Graeme Harding of the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) in Knysna said late on Wednesday afternoon that the barge had already broken apart completely and all the containers had disappeared underwater.

At the caravan park on the banks of the Groot River at Nature's Valley, five vehicles were almost completely covered in water when the river overflowed at high tide.

The vehicles belong to hikers who had taken on the Otter Trail.

Sanparks staff fetched  29 hikers on the Otter Trail on Wednesday, since conditions along the coast were becoming far too dangerous.

- Die Burger