An oil tanker ran aground off South Africa’s east coast in rough seas in the early hours of Thursday while a cargo ship off the same coast is taking on water, a port official said Thursday.
“The oil tanker Nino has run aground, said Terry Taylor, representative for the National Ports Authority in East London, told AFP. “A helicopter is airlifting off members of its crew.”
Taylor said he did not yet know if there was a danger of spillage from the 10,947 ton tanker, but a defence force representative said there was no immediate risk.
“At this point there is no danger to the crew. The structure of the vessel is still intact and there is no danger of oil spillage. We believe there is no gas on board,” Lieutenant-Colonel Piet Paxton of the South African National Defence Force told public radio SABC at 10:00 am (0800 GMT).
On the other ship, Taylor said: “The mini-bulk carrier Sagitaris is taking in water but the crew are not in any danger.”
“The sea conditions have been rough the last few days,” he said. Swells are up to five metres high off the coast.
The Nino ran aground in the early hours of Thursday morning near Bashee Point, about 65 flying miles northeast of the port of East London on the eastern Cape coast.
The Sagitaris started taking on water off East London, also in the early hours of the morning, Taylor said. – AFP