By Henri du Plessis
Serious questions have arisen over the sinking of a cargo ship off the Cape coast as the owners of the 22 500 tons of sugar on board the vessel probe the circumstances around the sinking.
The small bulk carrier Ioannis NK was abandoned in haste by her crew, who were flown to safety by South African Air Force helicopters after the ship started leaking early on Thursday, July 23.
The ship was en route from Brazil to India with her cargo of sugar.
Lawyers appointed by the London-based cargo owners and their insurers were forced to obtain a court order to gain access to the crew for interviews, intercepting the crew in the nick of time at Cape Town International Airport.
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They also intend appointing a naval architect to evaluate the loss of the vessel, after questions were raised over the damage in the ship's hull and what seemed to be the haste of the crew to abandon, considering the apparently salvable condition of the vessel shortly before it went down.
Read the full story in today's edition of Cape Argus newspaper.
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