The refloating of the bulk carrier Kiperousa, stranded on the Eastern Cape coast, will begin at about noon on Thursday, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said.
Samsa spokesperson Captain Peter Kroon said the fine weather in the East London area will assist in refloating the beached vessel.
”The pull starts round about noon as the tide is rising. We are hoping to have her refloated by five this afternoon [Thursday],” he said.
”The weather is fine so we are desperately hoping it’s going to be a success this time.”
Kroon said once the carrier is refloated it will be stabilised and inspected to determine the extent of the damage.
The Kiperousa will then be towed to Algoa Bay where the 8 000 logs it is carrying will be offloaded.
Meanwhile, tugs are continuing to transfer dirty oil from the vessel and take it to East London, where it is pumped into railway tanker trucks at the quayside, said Kroon.
The Kiperousa was en route from Gabon to Durban to take in fuel when it ran aground on a reef off Bhenga, just south of Hamburg in the Eastern Cape, two weeks ago. – Sapa