The critical ship-to-shore operation to transfer fuel from the shipwrecked MT Phoenix to road tankers to avert an environmental disaster on the North Coast got under way in earnest on Friday.
“If the gods smile on us, we should have the fuel off by Saturday night,” Captain Nigel Campbell, the manager of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) southern region, said.
The operational area has been declared out of bounds to the public for safety reasons, with access restricted to salvage and environmental experts.
But sightseers have been flocking to Christmas Bay at Sheffield Beach to catch a glimpse of the wreck on the rocks and the ongoing salvage operation.
“We’ve had major problems with sightseers, but now the municipality and the police have come to the party (to manage the influx of vehicles and people),” Campbell said.
All the costs for the salvage of the Phoenix would be borne by the South African government, Campbell said in a letter to local residents to keep them up to date with the operation.
But he was unable to confirm media reports that the bill could cost taxpayers up to R333 million.
He said: “It is going to be very expensive, but how long is a piece of string?”
The risk to the environment would remain high until the 400 tons of diesel had been removed from the ship, Campbell said in his letter.
He apologised in advance to residents for the noise from a Puma helicopter used to transport personnel and equipment, and from the generators that had been taken on board because the ship had no power.
Members of the salvage team, who live in Cape Town, are renting two houses just minutes from the scene, and a local homeowner has allowed the Puma, from Starlite Helicopters, to land in his garden.
The 40-year-old tanker, which carried no cargo and ran aground in wild seas on Tuesday, was on her final journey from West Africa to India and was destined for the scrapyard. The crew is to be repatriated home, but the captain and the ship’s engineer will stay here and were on Thursday using their knowledge of the ship to help the salvage teams.
Reports that the 15-man crew from India had not been paid could not be confirmed, but Campbell said it was normal to pay a delivery crew at the end of a successful voyage.
Saying the teams had on Thursday reported a “pretty good day”, Campbell said that all the rubbish – bits and pieces and oil drums – had been cleared from the deck and the operation to pump out the fuel was expected to start at first light on Friday.
Jan de Bruin, the operations manager for Drizit Environmental, brought in to ensure there was no spillage, said everything was under control.
“There is no sign of pollution and no danger of the ship breaking up. The Phoenix is behaving very well in the rough water,” he said.
There was some small damage, but that was being repaired, Campbell said.
Watched by fascinated onlookers, the scene was a hive of activity on Thursday as preparations were laid to pump the fuel from the stricken ship.
The Puma lifted 15 men and heavy equipment to the ship; the Phoenix was inspected, pipes and pumps set up and electricity installed.
One airlift was made to pick up the Indian crewmen’s passports and other important documents.
At one stage, six 20-litre drums containing ropes and welding gear that was being airlifted in three cargo nets ended up in the sea when a rope broke.
After a team cleared 40 empty oil drums from the front of the ship, Captain Saroor Ali, Samsa head of operations on the shore and Samsa’s East Coast regional manager, said this was to make space for the helicopter to hover without being damaged.
The team was also trying to make space for a chain that was attached to the anchor.
“It will then be pulled through to the other side and attached to the tug boat to secure it. We know that the ship hasn’t moved since becoming stuck on the rocks, but we want to take all necessary precautions,” he said.
Ali emphasised that, while the operation was dangerous, Samsa was optimistic about the outcome.
He was unable to say how long the entire process should take.
“We can’t jump to the third step (getting the ship back on its course) without finishing the second (draining the ship of fuel),” he said.
Even after the 400 tons of fuel had been removed, the salvage teams still had to get rid of other pollutants, like dirty oil and paint, that was on the ship, Campbell said.
Ali explained that the lines taking the fuel from the ship to the tankers on the road would span about a kilometre.
“We have to examine the temperatures because that would affect the viscosity (thickness) of the oil and in turn affect how long it would take to pump it out via the pipes we place,” he said.
The fuel was not “heavy” so the process would “be quick”.
Meanwhile, Samsa has still been unable to trace the owners of the ship.
“They have disappeared into a hole in the ground,” Campbell said.
Samsa had a piece of paper stating the tanker had belonged to A&K Shipping in Panama, he said.
“We still think the principals are Nigerian, but cannot confirm that.”
The matter will come before the High Court next Thursday for the final order to be made.
Val van Dyk, who lives near the wreck site, said she was very concerned about the “permanent damage” that would be done to the beach should the fuel leak.
“This is very serious and I hope the ship is removed soon,” she said.
Chris Braund, of Umhlanga, who saw the ship when he was travelling back from Empangeni, said he was concerned about the environmental impact a spill could have.
Meanwhile Sue Dewar, whose hobby is photography, said she had journeyed from Vryheid to see the ship.
“People asked me why I came all the way here for this when I could have seen snow right on my doorstep. I’ve seen snow before – you don’t see this everyday,” she said gesturing to the ship.
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