Bulk Carrier takes pounding off South African coast

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The 1979-built bulker Ikan Tanda (ex Amazon) carrying a cargo of potassium nitrate takes a pounding after running aground at Scarborough, south of Cape Town, during one of the worst storms to hit the area for several years. The crew was lifted to safety by helicopters. The 16,916 dwt Pacific Carriers vessel, registered in Singapore, was en route from Chile to Cape Town when she suffered engine failure, causing her to drift ashore. Marine specialist services company Smit Pentow Marine has been awarded a Lloyd’s Open Form by the vessel’s owners and the tug John Ross has sailed from Cape Town to stand by the vessel. There are fears of a 200-tonne bunker spill, as she has begun to take water and leaked 35 tonnes of diesel. Picture: Ocean Images Cape Town

Courtesy of Lloyd's List at http://www.lloydslist.com/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_FutureTenseContentServer=8763755ff52997da&pagename=lloydslist/home&art_id=ZZZCSFTGARC

-- Rich Marsh (marshr@airmail.net), September 06, 2001

Answers

45 knot gale-force winds lashed the Cape of Good Hope yy (Wednesday) resulting in two vessels - a Taiwanese trawler the Chia Ying 6 and the 15000 ton bulk carrier Ikan Thandi - being driven ashore at two seperate sites along the coast. Private and Air Force helicopters went to the rescue and lifted the crews to safety. One of two crew who jumped overboard from the trawler was reported to be in a serious condition after both were rescued by chopper.

The Pentow Marine salvage tug John Ross was heading through mountainous seas to the stricken Ikan Thandi which was beached on the sand at Scarbourough along the south/western Cape Peninsula. The Chia Ying 6 after being dashed against the breakwater in Table Bay for several hours was reported to have been towed off and into the harbour but was not expected to be salvagable.

Those strong winds have now (Thursday) reached Algoa Bay with the resultant heavy seas of over 6 metres.

-- Rich Marsh (marshr@airmail.net), September 07, 2001.


Salvage workers pump oil off grounded ship in South Africa September 10, 2001 ----------

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) via NewsEdge Corporation -

Salvage workers pumped oil off a grounded cargo ship Saturday, hoping to complete the operation during a lull in the stormy winter weather.

The 10,996-ton Ikan Tanda was pushed ashore by gale force winds and massive swells Wednesday afternoon, raising fears that 200 tons (220 short tons) of thick, black bunker oil and about 30 tons of light diesel fuel aboard could spill into the sea. The swell dropped off Saturday, enabling the Ocean Pride oil recovery vessel, which has a 60 ton storage capacity, to sail alongside the grounded ship. Pumping the oil was slow because the fuel was very thick, said Clare du Plooy Gomez, a spokeswoman for salvage company Smit Pentow Marine. Once it is full the Ocean Pride will have to sail to a harbor to offload, before returning to the wreck for another load - but this would depend on the tide and weather.

Another cold front is expected to hit Cape Town Sunday, which could disrupt the salvage operation. The Ikan Tanda, which is lying about 300 meters (yards) off Scarborough beach still appears to be structurally sound, and salvage workers are hoping to refloat the vessel once all the oil has been removed.

Conservationists fear an oil spill would have a devastating effect on the large rock pools that teem with sea life along the coastline.

The Singapore-registered ship was carrying fertilizer from Chile to Cape Town when its engines failed.

-- Rich Marsh (marshr@airmail.net), September 10, 2001.


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