Salvage experts are keeping their fingers crossed that the stricken bulk carrier Cape Africa, currently lying 200km west of Hout Bay, will remain afloat long enough for them to pump out the 1 900 tons of heavy fuel oil the ship is carrying.
”I’m surprised she’s lasted this long,” South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) head Bill Dernier told journalists at a media briefing, held at the offices of salvors Smit Salvage in Cape Town on Tuesday.
The vessel, which is carrying a cargo of just less than 150 000 tons of iron ore, has a tear 23m long and between 5m and 7m high in her hull — a space big enough to drive a fleet of buses through seven abreast.
The cause of the tear, first noticed by the ship’s crew last week, is not known.
Smit Salvage head Dave Main said the Antarctic supply vessel SA Agulhas will be used as a salvage base to pump the oil out of two tanks in the Cape Africa‘s stern into the Agulhas‘s own fuel tanks.
The Agulhas is expected to rendezvous with the Cape Africa, which has been instructed by Samsa to remain at least 120 sea miles off the South African coast, by the end of the week.
However, a big fear is some of the Cape Africa’s bulkheads — the upright partitions between each of her nine holds — will collapse.
”If the bulkheads collapse, she’ll go down quickly; should she go down, she’ll break up dramatically, and oil will come up,” Main said.
The currents will move any oil from such a disaster in a north-westerly direction, and the slick should prove ”no risk to the Cape coast”.
Main said pumping all the fuel oil out of the Cape Africa will take three days, weather permitting.
”Getting fuel off at sea is no easy task,” he warned.
Cold fronts are forecast for the area.
”Cold fronts are marching in, but they are not severe, and the swells will be about 3,5m. The weather at the moment is quite good,” Main said.
Speaking after the briefing, the Department of Environmental Affairs’ acting director for integrated coastal management, Dr Niel Malan, said the chances of pollution to the South African coast are ”really remote”.
”The only concern is if — in the event of a spill — the oil is picked up by the in-shore shelf current, which extends out to the 500m depth line.”
However, the currents around the Cape Africa‘s position — there is 4 000m of water under her hull — are most likely to move any such spill in a north-westerly direction at a rate of about 10km a day.
Malan said his department is happy with the way Samsa is handling the problem.
The Cape Africa is owned by U-Ming Marine Transportation Corporation. Built in 1991, she was about 300 sea miles from Cape Town, en route from Brazil to Japan, when the crew discovered the tear in her hull.
There is damage to the foremost three of the vessel’s nine holds.
The crew of the vessel were evacuated by helicopter last week.
The salvage tug Smit Amandla and a Coast Guard anti-pollution vessel are currently alongside the Cape Africa.
Main said the vessel’s owners are paying for the salvage. He declined to give the actual cost of the operation, saying only it is ”well up in the big figures”.
The Cape Africa‘s cargo is valued at $2,8-million.
Daily press statements will be issued by the salvors from Wednesday. — Sapa