Breaking Agulhas a 'hazard'
2006-08-05 21:42
Johannesburg - The wreck of the Safmarine Agulhas is breaking up and containers still on board may break free, warns the East London harbour authorities.
"She's almost in two, but she hasn't broken in two. She's about to go. It won't be much longer," said the National Port Authority (NPA) spokesperson in East London, Terry Taylor, on Saturday.
"It's inevitable she will break into two in the next few hours.
"There is the danger of containers coming out of those holes which may float or be semi-submerged. We have sent out a navigational warning to all ships in the area."
Taylor said the ship took a pounding in the heavy weather of the past few days, particularly on Friday night.
By Saturday morning, he said, the vessel had started to split down the middle. He warned beachgoers and boaters to be careful.
The Buffalo City municipality had been contacted and would warn lifeguards, said Taylor.
He said the Smit Salvage team was monitoring the situation and no containers had broken free so far.
Salvors were unable to retrieve 80 containers from two flooded holds of the ship. More than 500 containers had been removed.
The ship was declared a wreck last week. The crew have gone home.
Taylor said there was a potential navigational hazard, but there were no pollution worries: "In excess of 750 tons of fuel has been discharged. If that had not been the case we would have had a huge environmental disaster along our coast. It certainly doesn't pose an environmental threat."
The ship's owners and insurers have put the final removal of the wreck out to tender.
"Under the circumstances they could expedite the awarding of tender... It's possible they could award that tender in the next few days," said Taylor.
The 16 800 ton Agulhas ran aground on June 26, when its engines failed after leaving the harbour.
- SAPA