Work has begun on salvaging contents from the Ultrabulk-managed general cargo vessel Ultra Galaxy grounded in a remote coastal area northwest of Cape Town, South Africa.
The vessel is almost fully beached on its side in a remote coastal area known as Duiwegat, dominated by a patchy, rocky landscape with stretches of sandy beaches.
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said late on Thursday local time that the salvage work was continuing on the vessel, and that expert salvage teams were surveying the surrounding areas and the ship.
All efforts are currently focused on preparing the equipment that will allow salvors to access the vessel once the heavy weather subsides. The vessel’s cargo mainly consists of low-sulphur fuel, hydraulic oils, and its shipment of fertiliser in bags.
“Pollution clean-up teams are already working on removing flotsam from the beaches. Additionally, SAMSA has issued a navigation warning to all ships in the area to be on the lookout for any flotsam, as these may present a danger to navigation,” the safety authority stated.
The Panama-registered 13,800 dwt Ultra Galaxy was sailing to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania when it was abandoned by its crew of 18 Filipino seafarers after excessively listing followed by a subsequent grounding at 10 pm local time on Tuesday evening.
After abandoning the vessel, all of the crew members were rescued from a life raft and evacuated by fishing vessel Malachite first to St Helena Bay where they received routine medical attention.
SAMSA added that the salvage operation has been hindered by very cold and wet weather conditions with strong gusts of wind which have plagued the region for almost a week.
