The threat of "significant" spillage from a bulk carrier
stranded off Cape Town has passed as most of its fuel has been
removed, a committee handling the matter said on Sunday.
About 500 tonnes of the 660 tonnes of fuel on board the Turkish
vessel, Seli 1, had been pumped to another vessel, read a statement
by the joint operations committee, headed by the SA Maritime Safety
Authority.
She ran aground on 7 September at Table View beach.
"[The] remaining oil onboard is residual in nature and located
in small quantities in fuel tanks, the engine room and topside
tanks. Salvors are moving pumping equipment from tank to tank in an
effort to access these remaining pockets of oil."
As a precautionary measure, an oil pollution boom was still in
place at Milnerton Lagoon and response teams remained on standby.
"The pollution patrol aircraft Kuswag 9 continues to overfly the
casualty daily and has reported no oil in the vicinity of the
casualty today [Sunday]."