Probe into harbour oil spill

File photo: Entrance to the Durban habour.

File photo: Entrance to the Durban habour.

Published Sep 5, 2012

Share

Durban - The Department of Water Affairs is conducting an investigation into the source of an oil spill in Durban’s harbour this weekend.

On Monday, members of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance said they discovered one of the storage tanks at FFS Refiners, in Jacobs, was leaking oil into the Amanzimyama canal, which feeds into the harbour.

Co-ordinator Desmond D’Sa claimed this was where an oily substance that appeared in the harbour near the Bluff Yacht Club on Sunday afternoon had originated from.

The environmental manager at FFS Refiners, Alison Hancock, conceded that the company was aware of a “small oil leak” but denied that this had anything to do with the spill in the harbour.

The department was comparing samples taken from the scene of the spill on Sunday with samples taken from the scene of the leak on Monday, said a source, who was not authorised to speak to the media. - The Mercury

Related Topics: