THE stricken 10_000-ton cargo ship Ikan Tanda was scuttled off the Western Cape coast on Saturday, salvors Smit Pentow Marine said on Monday. Spokeswoman Clare du Plooy-Gomes said the ship finally disappeared beneath the water at 8.30pm about 200 miles offshore, west of Cape Town and outside South African territorial waters. The end came for the Ikan Tanda came after the owners and their representatives declared the vessel a ”constructive total loss” on Friday. Before scuttling the Ikan Tanda, salvors removed all floatable gear including life rafts, opened the necessary valves, and cut holes in strategic places aboard the vessel. The tug Wolraad Woltemade which towed the Ikan Tanda out to sea, remained on the scene until Monday morning to monitor for possible oil and debris. No oil was observed. The Singapore-registered Ikan Tanda, laden with a cargo of agricultural chemicals, was en route from Chile to Cape Town when it ran aground at Scarborough on the Cape Peninsula during a severe storm on September 5. – Sapa