A fuel removal operation from the bulk carrier SELI 1 resumed on Saturday at Table View beach in Cape Town, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said on Saturday.

In a statement, the authority said operations continued after weather and sea conditions moderated.

The Ocean Pride was alongside the vessel around 8.00am on Saturday pumping fuel into storage tanks.

A total of 454 tonnes of fuel had already been removed from the vessel.

The vessel was carrying 660 tonnes of fuel when it ran aground on 7 September.

Calm conditions were forecast for the next few days and salvors would use this time to pump out as much fuel as possible.

Skimming in the engine room also continued, said SAMSA.

As a precautionary measure, an oil pollution boom was deployed at the Milnerton Lagoon and response teams remained on standby.

A pollution patrol aircraft also continued to overfly the vessel daily and has reported no oil spill in the vicinity.

The public was also asked to stay clear of the boom and other equipment on site.