EMEA News
Unlimited Budget for South Africa Cleanup
South African authorities preparing to try to refloat the bulk carrier Kiani Satu said the ship's owner, Esmeralda Schiffahrts, has promised unlimited funding to salvage the vessel and clean up pollution, South Africa's IOL News reports.
Nigel Campbell, spokesman for the South Africa Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said the costs of the operation will probably be much more than the R38 million ($3.8 million) spent to respond to the wrecking of the MT Phoenix in 2011.
The owners of that vessel disappeared, leaving the government to pay the cleanup expenses.
Cleanup crews were said to be racing time to get the Kiani Satu refloated before storms hit the area, and Campbell warned that there was a 50 percent chance the vessel could be torn apart in the storm, creating a risk that it could dump the 315 tonnes of heavy fuel that is still on board into the sea.
"We are working on an alternative plan if that becomes the case," he said, adding that the first step would be to secure all pollutants on board.
Already about 15 tonnes of oil have leaked into the Indian Ocean from the ship, as it was buffeted by waves over the weekend.
Recovery efforts have been delayed by bad weather and technical problems, including the grounding of a Russian helicopter that was moving equipment to the ship.
The oil spill presents a threat to wildlife in the area, including in the Knysna Lagoon, Swartvlei and Goukamma estuaries, and some oil had already hit the shores on Monday.
"Fortunately, most of the oil is moving out to sea," said Campbell.
"We have had boats out all day breaking up the spill."
Teams used sand barriers to block the entrances into the estuaries and placed oil absorbent mats around the spill Monday, while conservation groups began working to rehabilitate birds hit by the oil.
The ship was carrying 15,000 tonnes of rice and had 330 tonnes of heavy fuel when it developed mechanical problems and ran aground Thursday.
