Two ships in trouble off E Cape
2002-07-18 12:27
Cape Town - An 11 000-ton tanker carrying petrol and diesel risks breaking up after running aground in rough seas off the Eastern Cape coast, Vera Schoeman of Die Burger in East London reported on Thursday.
The 134m, 10 947-ton Nino ran aground 10 sea miles from the Bashee River near Coffee Bay at 03:30 on Thursday.
At the same time, two miles off East London a mini-bulk carrier, the Sagittarius, started shipping water at Marine Point.
In the tanker's case, 16 of the 28 crew were airlifted to East London by an air force Oryx helicopter from 15 Squadron in Durban. The remaining 12, including the captain and chief engineer, remained on the vessel to help salvors Smit Pentow Marine.
The salvage company's helicopter and rescue boat is expected to arrive later on Thursday to determine the status of the vessel and cargo.
The tanker was on its way from Durban to Mossel Bay when it ran aground. Swells of up to eight metres made rescue and salvage operations difficult. The high tide further endangered the vessel, which risked breaking up.
PSM spokesperson Tanya Hacker said SPM's tug, Wolraad Woltemade, left Cape Town at 04:30 and was making its way through rough seas. "At this stage, it is known whether the vessel has run aground on sand or rock," Hacker said.
Captain John Fobian said police were deployed to the area to prevent looting.
The mini-bulk carrier, the Sagittarius, started shipping water at Marine Point, two sea miles from East London.
The 19-metre, 2 500-ton vessel was transporting grain from Durban to Angola when it ran into trouble.
The captain is confident the vessel can be repaired at sea, even although she is listing badly. A marine surveyor is on hand to assess the extent of the damage.