Wreck removal of pieces of a fishing trawler, FV Elke-M, got underway in St Francis Bay on Thursday last week.
The vessel was grounded on Saturday, the 06th January 2024, two kilometers southeast of St FRancis Bay, in the Eastern Cape.
The South African Maritime Authority (SAMSA) said work resumed last week, after it was hindered by bad weather, back in May 2024.
An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) under Section 30 of National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), was completed by an expert environmentalist and scientist, Dr Warwick Sauer, of the faculty of Ichthyology and Fisheries Sciences at Rhodes University.
The EIA findings of Dr. Warwick, as reported by SAMSA, indicated that the reduced steel structural portion of the vessel, which was left on the coastline at Shark Point, near St. Francis Bay, had settled on the rocky shoreline faster than expected.
About 35 tons of marine fuel and approximately 2000 litres of lubricating oil had to be removed from the vessel, shortly after the incident.
A further EIA was conducted in June 2024, followed by the most recent one on whose basis the first phase of the wreck removal has now started.
SAMSA’s Southern Region Principal Officer, Thandimfundo Mehlo,was present when the wreck removal team utilised a helicopter to lift and dispose of loose steel parts of the wreck.
Credit: SAMSA Blog