Good progress is being made with the bulk-carrier NS Qingdao salvage operation at the Port of Saldanha Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anton Bredell, Western Cape Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, was briefed on the current situation of the NS Qingdao bulk-cargo ship, which is currently off-loading contaminated cargo at the Port of Saldanha on the West Coast and days since Monday (15 February), a total of 152 skips, each containing 5 tons of waste material, have been disposed of at the Vissershok High Hazardous Waste Management Site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A small amount of contaminated water was recovered from the affected cargo hold, and this has also been analysed and disposed of at Vissershok.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe salvage operation of the contaminated chemical cargo from the NS Qingdao at the Port of Saldanha Bay is progressing in a safe and well-coordinated manner,\u201d Bredell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early in January the NS Qingdao was authorised by the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) and the South African Maritime Safety Authorities (Samsa) to commence with a controlled dumping of unstable chemical cargo 250 km off the West Coast in 3 000 m deep water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was done to protect the integrity of the ship and prevent a full-scale disaster when the ship was in danger of breaking up due to a fire on board, potentially polluting our coastline with its cargo as well as the fuel it carried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Approximately 1 450 tons of cargo was dumped during the offshore exercise, assisting in bringing the fire under control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The emergency has since been downscaled from a severe maritime emergency to a salvage operation that can be safely managed in port. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bredell said he is pleased with the excellent cooperation between the various role players in managing the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decision to bring the vessel back to harbour in late January was taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bredell said he is pleased to note Samsa and the DFFE were in discussions with the vessel\u2019s owners and insurers to arrange a medium-to-long-term environmental monitoring programme so that any potential future impacts can be managed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DFFE has initiated an Environmental Impact Study on the ocean dumping aspect of the operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It includes the development of drift models and sample collection in the affected area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The salvage operation is expected to continue for the rest of February into March, before the vessel is set to sail for its destination in Brazil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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