Severe storms break MV Ultra Galaxy, causing oil spill and triggering emergency response off South Africa.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has announced a major maritime incident involving the Panamanian-flagged general cargo vessel, MV Ultra Galaxy. The vessel, which ran aground off the west coast of South Africa earlier this month, has broken apart due to severe storms, resulting in an oil spill. This situation has led to the activation of the national emergency response plan for oil spills.
SAMSA reported that the ship, stranded on its side since early July, split into four pieces over the weekend because of heavy swells battering the wreck.
“At one point, 6.8-meter waves were hitting the wreck every 15 seconds. The immense force of this constant pounding initially caused the accommodation section to break apart, which then led to several larger cracks in the hull, forward of the accommodation,” SAMSA stated in an update.
In response, SAMSA has mobilized all necessary resources to contain the oil spill and activated the national emergency oil spill plan. By Sunday morning, 125 local community members had been recruited to assist in the cleanup efforts. Aerial and surface surveys are currently underway to evaluate the extent of the spill.
Earlier this week, salvage teams successfully removed several barrels of lubricants and approximately eight tonnes of marine diesel oil from the ship’s fuel tanks. “All essential resources required to address the oil spill have been mobilized. The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) is on standby, ready to intervene if seabirds are affected,” SAMSA said.
“A level 6 orange alert for damaging winds and waves was issued earlier this week, and these conditions are expected to continue until today (Monday), with the swell subsiding by Wednesday. Salvage operations will resume once access to the wreck is safe,” the agency added.
The 124.56-meter-long general cargo vessel, built in 2008, was en route to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania when it was abandoned by its 18 Filipino crew members on July 9 after developing a significant list and running aground. All crew members were safely rescued using a lifeboat.
At the time of its initial distress, the ship was approximately 60 nautical miles west of Doring Bay, carrying a full cargo of bagged fertilizers, low-sulfur bunker fuel, and hydraulic oils.
SAMSA has requested the public along the west coast, from Brand se Baai to St Helena Bay, to report any debris such as cargo bags and steel hatch covers that may wash ashore. The public is advised not to attempt to recover the debris themselves to minimize harm to individuals and the environment.
