The South Africa Incident Management Organisation (Imorg) has launched an investigation into an oil spill believed to have originated from a container cargo vessel anchored in Algoa Bay last week.
In a statement released on Monday, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) reported that the spill was first detected by a vessel anchored at number 2 in Algoa Bay.
The crew noticed oil-like blobs and an oily sheen on the water and immediately informed the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) Vessel Traffic Service. A rapid response craft was dispatched to the site to investigate.
The initial investigation, conducted at around 5 p.m. on Saturday, confirmed the presence of an oily substance in the water, which was traced back to the motor vessel MSC Apollo, according to Samsa. However, due to nightfall, further investigation was postponed.
Later that evening, Samsa contacted the vessel’s insurers and requested oil spill trajectory modeling from the International Tanker Owners’ Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF) to ensure an effective response the following day.
On Sunday, Imorg members, including representatives from the TNPA, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, South African National Parks (SanParks), and others, met with the MSC Apollo’s agent and its insurers.
The meeting aimed to determine the cause and extent of the oil spill and plan efforts to contain it, particularly to protect the sensitive wildlife on nearby St. Croix and Bird Islands.
A surveillance flight using a rotary-wing aircraft was conducted Sunday afternoon, despite strong winds. The flight path, guided by ITOPF modeling, included the St. Croix Island group.
Fortunately, no oil or oily sheen was observed during the flight or on foot patrols along the beaches between the Port of Ngqura and Sundays River.
On Monday morning, during the second incident management meeting, it was decided to clean the oil stains from the MSC Apollo’s hull to prevent any further contamination of the water.
Due to rough seas on Sunday, the cleaning operation had to be postponed until Tuesday, when conditions were expected to improve.
In addition, SanParks rangers will travel to St. Croix Island, assisted by drones provided by the vessel’s insurers to search for any affected wildlife.
Samsa has urged the public to report sightings of oiled birds to the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.
Imorg, co-chaired by the Department of Transport and Samsa, is a joint preparedness forum for government and industry to respond to oil spills within South Africa’s exclusive economic zone, spanning approximately 1.5 million square kilometers across the Atlantic, Southern, and Indian Oceans.
