Scramble to control West Coast oil spill

The Panama-flagged cargo ship MV Ultra Galaxy had been grounded off the West Coast since the beginning of July and measures to avoid the worst outcome should have been taken, an environmental organisation said, following news that the vessel had broken into four sections, leading to an oil spill.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) confirmed the stricken cargo ship had broken into sections overnight on Saturday, which led to the oil spill.

The 124.56m-long vessel was sailing alongside South Africa in the Atlantic Ocean en route to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, and later abandoned by its crew of 18 after reporting heavy listing on July 9.

Samsa at the time confirmed the ship had gone to ground off the coast of Duiwegat, just south of Brand se Baai on the West Coast, with efforts under way to prevent a fuel and oil spill, as well as salvage its fertiliser cargo.

Salvage had been ongoing until the incident at the weekend.

“All attempts are being made to contain the spill within the immediate area, and cleaning operations will continue.

A full assessment is currently being conducted by both aerial and surface surveys,” Samsa said.

“This follows the severe and disruptive weather that continues to batter the Western and Northern Cape coastlines. At one stage, 6.8m swells struck the wreck every 15 seconds, and the massive force of this constant battering caused the accommodation to first break off, which then led to a number of larger cracks on the hull, forward of the accommodation.”

A “pre-prepared Oil Spill Contingency Plan” was initiated on Sunday, and additional personnel had been drafted in to assist with cleaning the spill, including 125 locals from the community who had been “very supportive throughout this operation”, according to Samsa.

“Earlier in the week, salvors managed to remove several lube oil drums and about 8 tons of marine gas oil from the fuel tanks of the wreck. All essential resources needed to deal with the oil spill have been mobilised. The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) remains on standby, ready to respond should seabirds become affected,” Samsa added.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) said it was aware of the incident and was a member of the Incident Management System (IMS), which also includes Samsa, Department of Transport, local and provincial disaster management, SANCCOB, CapeNature and industry representatives. They are tasked with combating pollution associated with this incident.

DFFE spokesperson Peter Mbelengwa said: “The extent of the oil spill is limited to a 1km stretch of coastline directly adjacent to the wreck. An oil spill response service provider (Spill-Tech) is on scene and conducting the clean-up of the affected coastline and monitoring for any further possible pollution. The authorities and CapeNature are also monitoring for any affected wildlife, and SANCCOB is preparing a bird rehabilitation centre in Lambert’s Bay in case any oiled birds are found.”

UWC Emeritus Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Leslie Petrik, said: “We saw with previous oil spills what a devastating effect they had on key endangered species such as penguins and other marine birds. Hydrocarbons are extremely toxic and will have long-term chronic impacts as well as cause acute poisoning to highly exposed wildlife and humans. I recall dispersants being used for other spills, but this just deals with the visible plume, not with the acute and chronic toxicity that exposure to the spill will have on marine life and coastal environs.”

Environmental justice organisations expressed concern about the impact of the oil spill.

Masifundise spokesperson Carmen Mannarino said: “We call on the government and other relevant authorities to act swiftly to do everything that is needed to limit the environmental impact of the spill.

The ship was grounded since the beginning of July and measures to avoid this outcome should have been taken. Masifundise is concerned with the impact on the ecosystem this spill might have. Sadly, we know from many examples around the world about the negative impact of oil spills on birds, fish and mammals, as well the rest of marine life.

This might also have dire consequences on the livelihoods of fishers. We call for an immediate investigation and the responsible must be held to account. Of immediate priority is the need to stop and contain the spill and initiate clean up operations.”

The Green Connection strategic lead, Liz McDaid, added that storms being experienced are predicted to become much worse as the climate crisis bites.

“It is, therefore, important to start critically assessing the conditions of these vessels and ensure there are contingency plans and fast reactions.

These maritime accidents can affect marine ecosystems, contaminating water and harming marine life.

And since coastal communities depend on healthy oceans for their livelihoods, particularly through fishing and tourism, accidents in the ocean can affect local economies.”

Cape Times