Capsized, aground bulker breaks into 4 parts amid severe storms; Oil spill contingency plan underway

As a result of deteriorating weather conditions, the 13,800-dwt MV Ultra Galaxy broke apart into four sections overnight on Sunday, causing an oil spill, the officials informed.

The Panama-flagged coal-carrying vessel ran aground in June and remained stuck despite initial attempts to refloat it. Salvage operations for the grounded bulk carrier off a remote region near South Africa's Cape Town were delayed due to disruptive storms hitting the coast. The entire crew of 18 members was successfully rescued with the aid of a safety raft recently.

Oil Spill on South Africa’s west coast (Photo: SAMSA)

Capsized Panama-flagged cargo ship, MV Ultra Galaxy (Photo: SAMSA)

However, the immediate battle now is to contain the oil spill, for which The South African Maritime Safety Administration (SAMSA) has deployed as many as 125 locals for the clean-up efforts, as part of their oil spill contingency plan.

“A full assessment is currently being conducted by both aerial and surface surveys... At one stage, 6.8-meter swells struck the wreck every 15 seconds, and the massive force of this constant battering caused the accommodation (section) to first break off, which then led to a number of larger cracks on the hull, forward of the accommodation," SAMSA noted.

“All essential resources needed to deal with the oil spill have been mobilized. The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) remains on standby, ready to respond should seabirds become affected," the safety authority wrote further.