Cape Town – Twenty years ago to the day, the MV Treasure sank off the coast of Cape Town between Dassen and Robben islands, drenching 19 000 African
penguins in oil.
The cargo vessel was carrying iron ore from China en route to Brazil when severe weather ripped a hole in the hull.
An attempt to tug the vessel into the harbour was not feasible due to its large size, and it was decided to instead tug it further offshore to reduce the environmental impact.
But this also failed under rough sea conditions, and the ship spilt 1 300 tons of bunker fuel into the ocean.
The rescue of the penguins remains the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds’ (Sanccob) biggest oil spill response in 52 years, as the rehabilitation operation spanned three months and saw local and international teams of experts supervise over 45 000 volunteers.
A further 19500 birds were saved on the islands - the then-largest and third largest African penguin colony in the world respectively, and transported to Port Elizabeth.
Conservation scientist at Sanccob, Dr Lauren Waller, was part of the operation as a volunteer 20 years ago, and recalled how the “Treasure spill” captivated thousands and rallied people together to help wherever they could.
“I cleaned penguins and force-fed them - penguins have to be force-fed, because they are used to catching prey by swimming after it, so they don’t recognise food when you show it to them.
“I also had to check which penguins were dry when they came out of the water and which had wet spots. Penguins have to be dry when they come out of the water,” Waller said.
The rescue of the penguins remains the SA Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds’ biggest oil spill response in 52 years, as the rehabilitation operation spanned three months and saw local and international teams of experts supervise over 45 000 volunteers. Picture: IFAW
But she said the situation wasn’t all plain-sailing for a master’s candidate like her at the time - recalling a multi-
coloured bruise she got from a penguin bite.
“They don’t know that you’re trying to rescue them. We had a medical team, a tetanus team I got bitten on my arm,” she said.
As a conservation scientist funded by the Leiden Conservation Foundation, Waller today works with national and provincial government groups on conservation implementation.
The African penguin has experienced rapid population declines over the past 100 years as a result of several factors including overfishing, habitat modification of nesting sites, and oil spills.
They are currently classified as endangered by the IUCN Red List, and further listed as a protected species under the National Environment Management in South Africa.
Sanccob preparedness and response manager Nicky Stander said her department, the only of its kind, was set-up three years ago to put systems in place to respond to environmental disasters.
“If an oil spill happens tomorrow, we don’t want to run around finding equipment, we must stockpile and be ready with everything we need to catch birds and bring them back to our centres,” Stander said.
“There has been an improvement in technology and the tracking of vessels over the past 20 years.
“At the same time, from an economic perspective, there is exploration for oil and gas, and the unlocking of the ‘blue economy’,” Stander pointed out.