Navy finishes demolition of Seli 1

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An explosion rips what is left of the Seli 1 Picture: Bruce Sutherland, City of Cape Town

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Cape Town - With a series of spectacular explosions the navy completed its job on the wreck of the Seli 1 on Wednesday.

The joint task team monitoring the operation said that while the wreck was still visible its structure had been significantly weakened.

“It is expected that it is now sufficiently weakened to enable the ocean forces to collapse it on to the seabed during the upcoming winter, as originally intended,” said Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, spokesman for the city’s Disaster Management.

The navy’s diving team and Department of Transport representatives would do further assessments of the wreck to determine if the operation had been successful, he said.

The task team reported that minimal quantities of oil released from the wreck had been promptly contained and dealt with. Marine life had been “largely unaffected”.

Solomons-Johannes added: “Given that the wreck has been substantially weakened, it constitutes a danger and is therefore unsafe. People must remain clear of the wreck at all times.”

The Seli 1 ran aground in 2009. After its owners abandoned it, has been mouldering on the seabed off Blouberg for the past four years.

The task team thanked the residents of Table View and the people of Cape Town for their co-operation during the operation.

Cape Argus