“The Department of Environmental Affairs’ (DEA) coastal oil spill contingency plan in the Richards Bay area, where a bulk carrier vessel, MV Smart, ran aground last Monday, is firmly in place as efforts to transfer oil from the vessel are set to commence,” according to a statement released by the Department of Environmental Affairs on Sunday 25 August.

The contingency plan is to ensure that the environment and health of marine species in the area are protected.

The statement noted that at the moment, no oil spill from the vessel has been reported. As part of the contingency plan, containment booms have been deployed around the vessel to protect the coastline against any possible pollution during the salvage operations. A team comprised of the relevant environmental, disaster management agencies and salvage experts is on standby to boom off the uMlathuze Sanctuary, Richards Bay harbour and near-by estuaries from any possible oil spills.

“The Department’s oil spill aerial surveillance aircraft, Kuswag 9 (K9), will continue to fly over the area to gather information that will be used during the salvage operations. The aircraft will also assist with monitoring and assessment of any possible environmental threat in the area,” said the statement, which added that the Department had also requested samples of the coal on board to determine the impact it may have on the marine environment.

According to the Department spokespeople, Zolile Nqayi and Ernest Mulibana, the uMlathuze Sanctuary is considered important, from both conservation and social perspectives, as it is a breeding and nursery area for important fish species. It also provides a home to over 20 000 birds of various types and is an area that provides life-supporting and recreational benefits. “It is for these reasons that the Department will do all it takes to ensure that this sanctuary and nearby estuaries are not compromised, particularly during salvage operations.”

The Department also indicated that further plans to pump the oil out of the vessel are at an advanced stage. It is anticipated that the removal of oil from the vessel may take anything between five and seven days, while it may take several months to remove the coal. Furthermore, it is unclear at this stage as to how long it would take for the stricken vessel to be removed.

“DEA, along with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and other responding environmental agencies and local authorities are on high alert to provide rapid response in the event of any oil pollution from the vessel.”