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The barge GTO XVIV is battered against rocks south of the Knysna Heads after the tow with the tug HAKO 18 was lost in heavy seas yesterday. Picture by Andrew Aveley/NSRI Knysna.
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The barge MARGARET aground near Jacobsbaai on the west coast yesterday. Picture courtesy Colin Clegg.
It has been a couple of days of drama along the Cape coast as a series of cold fronts moved across South Africa, bringing high seas reaching 9 metres and strong gale force winds. Two barges have gone aground and three ships narrowly missed the same fate.
The unmanned barge MARGARET which is loaded with a cargo of 13 river barge hulls built in China and destined for Rotterdam, has gone aground in heavy seas along a rocky shore at Jacobs Baai north of Saldanha Bay.
The barge was being towed by the tug SALVALIANT when the tow was lost. Despite efforts by the tug to reconnect the tow the barge went aground in the early hours of yesterday morning (Wednesday).
Earlier in June the Salvaliant and Margaret put into Durban harbour for repairs and supplies. The combination sailed and then later returned to port before heading off on the next leg to Europe, which has ended so prematurely on the west coast.
In a second incident on South Africa’s south-east coast another barge, GTO XVIV has run aground at Three Sisters Rocks, west of the Knysna Heads. According to the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), the Singapore registered tug Hako 18 was on passage from Maputo to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, towing the barges GTO XXIX and GTO XXIV when heavy weather was encountered. The barges are owned by a Dutch company.
The barges are carrying construction equipment and were unmanned. There are no pollutants onboard.
At approximately 02h30 on 24 June the tow wire to the barge GTO XXIV parted. The Smit Amandla Marine tug Pentow Skua had been mobilized from Mossel Bay to assist the Hako 18 some eight hours earlier. Despite the best efforts of the Master of the Pentow Skua to connect to the drifting barge this was not possible due to the adverse weather conditions.
The barge subsequently grounded near Three Sisters Rocks to the west of the Knysna Heads in the vicinity of Brenton. Photographic evidence reveals the barge as having broken its back against the rocks.
A senior SAMSA surveyor is currently at the scene.
The owners of the barge have been instructed, in terms of the Wreck and Salvage Act, to remove the wreck. The wreck removal plan will have to be approved by SAMSA who will also monitor progress and adherence to the requirements of the plan.
In yesterday’s News Bulletin we reported on the near miss for the capesize bulker KIRAN, which lost engine power shortly after sailing from Saldanha Bay with a full load of iron ore. In danger of going aground near Slangkop on the Cape Peninsular the ship was rescued by the timely arrival of the salvage tug SMIT AMANDLA which took her in tow to a safe position away from the coast.
Another bulker, the DOCERIVER (79,184-gt, built 1986) also had a narrow escape when she dragged her anchors in Table Bay. Shortly before going onto the beach her crew managed to get the engines running and the ship slowly made her way back into Table Bay, where she was joined by the tug INDOMITABLE which had sailed from Cape Town harbour to assist.
According to news reports a third ship, VIKING EAGLE (18,327-gt, built 2006) was also in difficulty off the Cape Town coast in the wild seas battering the Cape coast. No details of this incident are available and the ship obviously made her way to safety.
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Pictures by Andrew Aveley/NSRI Knysna
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Friday, June 26, 2009
Environmental Basic Assessment for the proposed establishment of wind monitoring masts on a site near Darling, Western Cape Province
Investec bank Limited propose to erect five guyed lattice masts, each up to approximately 80 m in height, for the purpose of recording wind measurements on portions of the farms Slangkop, Doornfontein, Rheboksfontein, Bonteberg, Farm 1047 and Platklip, located approximately 10 km west of Darling (Application Reference number: 12/12/20/1447).
In terms of sections 24 and 24D of the national Environmental Management Act (Act No 107 of 1998), as read with Government Notices R385 (Regulations 22-26) and R386, a Basic Assessment process is required to be undertaken. In this regard, Investec bank Limited has appointed Savannah Environmental to undertake the environmental assessment and public participation process. To obtain further information and register on the project database, please submit your name, contact information and interst in the project to the contact person below.
A Draft Basic Assessment report has been prepared by Savannah Environmental and is avaialble for review. You are invited to review the report at one of the following locations:
* Saldanha Bay Local Municipality
* Swartland Local Municipality
* Vredenburg Residents and Ratepayers Association
* Vredenburg Library
* Vredenburg Farmers Association
* Paternoster Home Owners Association
* Darling Library
* Yzerfontein Library
* www.savannahSA.com
The period for review is 15 June to 14 July 2009. Please submit comments to swjohnston@mweb.co.za.
News taken from http://www.savannahsa.com and presented by www.shopwestcoast.co.za
In terms of sections 24 and 24D of the national Environmental Management Act (Act No 107 of 1998), as read with Government Notices R385 (Regulations 22-26) and R386, a Basic Assessment process is required to be undertaken. In this regard, Investec bank Limited has appointed Savannah Environmental to undertake the environmental assessment and public participation process. To obtain further information and register on the project database, please submit your name, contact information and interst in the project to the contact person below.
A Draft Basic Assessment report has been prepared by Savannah Environmental and is avaialble for review. You are invited to review the report at one of the following locations:
* Saldanha Bay Local Municipality
* Swartland Local Municipality
* Vredenburg Residents and Ratepayers Association
* Vredenburg Library
* Vredenburg Farmers Association
* Paternoster Home Owners Association
* Darling Library
* Yzerfontein Library
* www.savannahSA.com
The period for review is 15 June to 14 July 2009. Please submit comments to swjohnston@mweb.co.za.
News taken from http://www.savannahsa.com and presented by www.shopwestcoast.co.za
Saldanha water quality has a worrying down trend.
Despite some positive signs regarding improved water quality readings in Saldanha Bay and the Langebaan lagoon - an internationally protected Ramsar site - the overall picture is of a natural environment being incrementally degraded, say scientists.
The ‘State of the Bay 2008: Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon’ report by Anchor Environmental Consultants, released on Thursday last week, revealed detailed analysis of discharges from human activity; water quality; sediments; benthic macrofauna; intertidal invertebrates; fish and birds.
A number of worrying trends are contained in the report, presented by Barry Clark from the University of Cape Town (UCT) Zoology Department.
One of these was the overall downward trend in the number and diversity of benthic macrofauna (species larger than 1.0mm in size living in sediment) in all three bays studied: small bay; big bay; and Langebaan lagoon.
The poorest results in the entire spectrum of tests were obtained from small bay - which showed the most ecological degradation over all, with parts of it being a “dead zone”.
There were some improvements in the health of benthic macrofauna in big bay compared to previous years, one notable success being the return of the sea pen Virgularia schultzei to the area.
Langebaan lagoon has seen little change over recent years, but, as with the other areas, comparisons to data from 1975 show a marked decrease in benthic macrofauna diversity and abundance.
There was also a worrying decline in the resident wading bird population in Langebaan lagoon, an area which is seen as the most important wetland for these birds on the west coast of Southern Africa, and is ranked as the fourth most important estuary for waterbirds.
Although there did not seem to be any real long term changes to fish communities in the bay, there is “some evidence to suggest that tolerant species are becoming more abundant while more sensitive species are declining in abundance”.
While the bay supported what was probably the last healthy population of white stumpnose, a major drawcard for both commercial and recreational fishermen, Clark noted that about 40% of the adult white stumpnose population was being caught, a situation which was “not sustainable”.
He said the health of the current population was likely due to the Langebaan lagoon serving as a protected nursery, and degradation of that ecosystem would have severe negative consequences.
And the health of the white stumpnose population could not be taken for granted.
“There is a trend toward severe exploitation of this stock, and the balance may soon be tipped.”
Thus fishing in the bay required proper, enforced controls.
The report noted that dredging activities carried out by Transnet had marked negative effects on the health of the bay as it stirred up fine particulate matter, unearthing the toxic metals which clung to it.
To Transnet’s credit, they kept harbour dredging activities to a minimum, but the planned phase 2 expansion of the iron ore terminal would require extensive dredging activities, further compromising the quality of the bay’s ecosystem.
Increased shipping as a result of the expansion would also involve increased amounts of polluting ballast water, taken in at highly polluted Eastern ports and containing pollutants and alien species which were then released into the bay, as well as increased risk of spills and accidents. - West Cape News
Coped by www.shopwestcoast.co.za
The ‘State of the Bay 2008: Saldanha Bay and Langebaan Lagoon’ report by Anchor Environmental Consultants, released on Thursday last week, revealed detailed analysis of discharges from human activity; water quality; sediments; benthic macrofauna; intertidal invertebrates; fish and birds.
A number of worrying trends are contained in the report, presented by Barry Clark from the University of Cape Town (UCT) Zoology Department.
One of these was the overall downward trend in the number and diversity of benthic macrofauna (species larger than 1.0mm in size living in sediment) in all three bays studied: small bay; big bay; and Langebaan lagoon.
The poorest results in the entire spectrum of tests were obtained from small bay - which showed the most ecological degradation over all, with parts of it being a “dead zone”.
There were some improvements in the health of benthic macrofauna in big bay compared to previous years, one notable success being the return of the sea pen Virgularia schultzei to the area.
Langebaan lagoon has seen little change over recent years, but, as with the other areas, comparisons to data from 1975 show a marked decrease in benthic macrofauna diversity and abundance.
There was also a worrying decline in the resident wading bird population in Langebaan lagoon, an area which is seen as the most important wetland for these birds on the west coast of Southern Africa, and is ranked as the fourth most important estuary for waterbirds.
Although there did not seem to be any real long term changes to fish communities in the bay, there is “some evidence to suggest that tolerant species are becoming more abundant while more sensitive species are declining in abundance”.
While the bay supported what was probably the last healthy population of white stumpnose, a major drawcard for both commercial and recreational fishermen, Clark noted that about 40% of the adult white stumpnose population was being caught, a situation which was “not sustainable”.
He said the health of the current population was likely due to the Langebaan lagoon serving as a protected nursery, and degradation of that ecosystem would have severe negative consequences.
And the health of the white stumpnose population could not be taken for granted.
“There is a trend toward severe exploitation of this stock, and the balance may soon be tipped.”
Thus fishing in the bay required proper, enforced controls.
The report noted that dredging activities carried out by Transnet had marked negative effects on the health of the bay as it stirred up fine particulate matter, unearthing the toxic metals which clung to it.
To Transnet’s credit, they kept harbour dredging activities to a minimum, but the planned phase 2 expansion of the iron ore terminal would require extensive dredging activities, further compromising the quality of the bay’s ecosystem.
Increased shipping as a result of the expansion would also involve increased amounts of polluting ballast water, taken in at highly polluted Eastern ports and containing pollutants and alien species which were then released into the bay, as well as increased risk of spills and accidents. - West Cape News
Coped by www.shopwestcoast.co.za
Desalinate seawater in Langebaan Lagoon
Transnet's plans to develop a reverse osmosis plant at their Saldanha port have been dealt a blow by the suspension of their authorization to go ahead with the development, pending a decision by Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Buyelwa Sonjica.
The suspension follows an appeal lodged against an EIA by environmentalists concerned with the potential brine outputs into the bay.
"The previous minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism informed Transnet in April 2009 that he is supending the authorization of this project in terms of the Environmental Management Act Section 43(7), until this appeal has been finalized," said Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu.
He said once the appeal process had been finalized and the project was authorized by Sonjica, Transnet would continue with the project.
The announcement of suspension came as good news to Jimmy Walsh, chairperson of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve (CWCBR), who lodged the appeal. He had criticized the way in which the environmental consultants, SRK, had released their EIA, saying it was "very sneaky".
He said the report was distributed on 15 December 2008 and gave objectors 30 days in which to comment.
"They knew most people are on holiday during that period and wouldn't get round to it," he said.
However, he and the vice-chairperson of CWCBR had managed to get off an appeal before the cut-off date.
The plant would serve to desalinate seawater for damping down dust from iron ore dumps.
Environmentalists objected to the plant on the grounds that brine would be pumped back into the bay, a closed system.
This could have grim consequences, they say, in that it could increase the salinity in the lagoon, negatively affecting the marine life.
It is not the plant itself that they are protesting, but it's location at the lagoon.
The plant would, at peak, have an output of 3600 m3/day, producing a brine byproduct 4320 m3/day, and nearly 1.6 million m3/year, into Saldanha Bay, which adjoins the Langebaan Lagoon, which is a Ramsar protected wetland.
To illustrate this quantity, Walsh divided it to its equivalent in a car the size of a Corsa Lite.
This would amount to 179 181 cars, which, if put alongside in a row, would stretch 662.3 km.
"What's more, if they double their iron ore export, which they say they intend to, that doubles the chance of a ship sinking. With spring tides it would take 40 minutes for the lagoon to be polluted."
Supported by numerous organisations, such as SANParks, Birdlife SA and the Langebaan Action Group, Walsh's concern is the effect of vast volumes of brine byproduct being pumped into the area. He said that if the appeal was not successful, they would take their objection to an international level.
"The country has signed a Ramsar Convention agreement (to protect the site) and are bound to honour it."
Johan Ackron, convenor of the Langebaan Action Group, said the EIA had not been comprehensive and a complete, all-inclusive one needed to be carried out taking into consideration the area as a whole.
He described current EIAs as mere formalities.
"They are just rites of passage, with contrived motivations," he said.
Christo van Wyk, chairperson of the Saldanha Bay Water Quality Trust, said although it could not be anticipated what the exact level of impact on water quality would be, he was certain it would be negative.
"The effluent will contain nasty chemical compounds which will contain antifungal agents, like brome, to kill plant growth in the inlet and outlet pipes of the RO plant. I am personally not convinced the scientists know exactly the extent of the zone of impact," he said.
Sharon Jones, senior environmental scientist for SRK Consultants, said she was unfamiliar with the objections to the development. She said the company had appointed a number of specialists who had performed the assessments under the EIA.
news by www.shopwestcoast.co.za
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