Salvage operation on hold
2005-06-08 13:49
East London - Bad weather was hampering efforts on Wednesday to salvage the stricken bulk carrier, the Kiperousa, which ran aground off the Eastern Cape coast on Tuesday.
The Malta-registered log-carrier was on its way from Ghana to Durban when it ran into trouble shortly after 11:00 on Tuesday.
She was still aground at the stern on Wednesday morning, National Ports authority spokesperson Terry Taylor told Sapa.
The vessel sent out a mayday alert after she apparently struck an object about two nautical miles south of Hamburg.
Taylor said: "It looks like the stern is aground, the bow is still floating."
It was not clear what the ship was lodged on but it could be a rock, Taylor said.
Most of the Kiperousa's crew were rescued and taken to safety on Tuesday. The skeleton staff that remained on the vessel to try and stabilise her was also taken to safety on Wednesday morning.
The attempts of teams of salvagers flown in from Cape Town and Durban to refloat the ship were seriously hampered by poor weather conditions as they couldn't get close enough to board because of the swell.
The teams and the crew are in East London waiting for the weather to clear.
They were also waiting for the arrival of a large salvage vessel from Cape Town, which was expected by Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, an environment watch vessel was monitoring possible pollution risks.
- SAPA