About 600kg of spoiled food will be airlifted from the stranded cargo ship Kiani Satu.
|||Cape Town - About 600kg of spoiled food will be airlifted from the stranded cargo ship Kiani Satu on Friday, the Knysna municipality said.
Joint operations centre spokeswoman Athane Scholtz said the food was no longer fit for consumption and would be disposed of under controlled waste removal procedures.
The 168 metre bulk carrier ran aground at dawn last Thursday off Buffels Bay, forcing the captain and his 19-member crew to abandon ship. It developed mechanical problems in heavy seas while carrying 330 tons of fuel oil and 15,000 tons of rice.
Scholtz said the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) had since managed to pivot the vessel 70 degrees, to face the sea.
“The vessel is still structurally sound and the engineers do not foresee immediate structural problems. Unfortunately the vessel's stern side is still lodged on the sandbank and Samsa officials have decided to activate further steps to try to lighten the vessel.”
There were no further reports of oil in the water and leaks from the ship.
On Thursday, Samsa pumped the fuel oil from the ship's engine room to higher parts of the vessel.
Samsa spokesman Captain Nigel Campbell said the safest way to remove more than 300 tonnes of fuel oil from the ship was to fly it off in plastic tanks.
Scholtz said over 350 experts were working to address the oil spill, which affected the Goukamma nature reserve and marine protected area.
“Preparations for a major clean up will only happen once the ship has been removed Ä once the full impact of the spill has been assessed and the ship is out of the area and no longer a spill risk.
“This is to ensure minimum impact on the environment as continuous removal of little bits of oil is counterproductive and places unnecessary pressure on resources.”
She expected clean-up operations to take several weeks.
Precautionary measures were in place to protect estuaries at Goukamma, Swartvlei, and Knysna.
Scholtz said 35 oiled penguins had been rescued, cleaned, and sent for rehabilitation. There were no reports of bird or animal deaths near the ship.
The joint operation centre thanked the Garden Route and Western and Eastern Cape residents for their donations and offers of help.
Sapa