The Flygt 2600 Series Pumps from Xylem Water Solutions South Africa were caught up in the action off the cost of Kwazulu-Natal, pumping sea water into the vessel to keep it stable…The Panamanian 230 metre-long MV Smart vessel was loaded with an estimated 150 000 tons of coal when it got stuck outside the port of Richards Bay on the 19th of August.
According to port authorities the ship lost engine power which caused it to lose its steering abilities and with heavy seas, submerged the ship on a sandbank. Fortunately the port entrance was not blocked and the harbour could operate normally. The twenty-three crew members, including the captain, were airlifted to safety and a contingency plan was set in place. “The Flygt 2600 Series Pumps were used on various parts of the ship, keeping the engine rooms dry and in the process of ballasting, where they were pumping sea water into and out of the ship to keep it stable, while technicians were busy unloading the coal and pumping out the HFO oil. Being ergonomically portable to manoeuvre into and around isolated parts of the ship, the 2640 MT, 5.6 kW Flygt pumps worked efficiently and fiercely to get the job done,” said Shaun Hattingh from SAMCO Pumps, Xylem Water Solutions South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal distributor. Based on the success of these pumps, the 2670 MT, 18kW Flygt pumps have been ordered and incorporated into plans for the next stages of pumping. The South African Maritime Safety Authority stated that the operation went extremely well. SAMSA’s Nigel Campbell said that they managed to get through the operation without spilling a drop of oil into the sea as of Friday, 30 August.Environmentalists argue that coal dust is not such a serious threat as an oil spill, but the situation still needs constant monitoring. Coal dust can upset the alkalinity of the water, and beach-goers may get slight skin irritation.
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 will take several days, while it may take several months to remove the coal. Flygt 2600 pumps can handle flows of up to 100 litres per second (1500 GPM), heads to 90 metres (300 ft.), and solids of up to 80 mm in diameter. Available with power ratings from 0.85 to 18 kW, 50 Hz, these drainage pumps are engineered for professional use in tough mining, construction, tunnelling, and industrial dewatering applications Issued by The PR Collective
