Plan to remove 40 tons of biodiesel from leaking trawler wreck near PE

A FUEL leak at the wreck of a crayfish trawler close to the Port Elizabeth coast prompted quick action from clean-up crews, who will soon remove what could be close to 40 tons of biodiesel from the sunken vessel. At the same time, a leading environmentalist is asking why the problem was allowed to escalate when a leak could have been avoided altogether. On November 26 last year, the Baratz started taking on water, leading to the dramatic rescue of 25 fishermen shortly before the ship sunk about 2km from the coast near Cape Recife. At that stage, the vessel was not leaking any fuel and Xtreme Projects – a company specialising in ship salvage operations and cleaning of hazardous material – was tasked to remove ropes, buoys and other debris that came off the Baratz as it went down. “We removed debris that posed a navigational danger to other vessels. Afterwards we monitored the area for any oil or fuel leaks, but at that stage there was no threat,” Xtreme Projects owner Kevin Kelly said. However, Xtreme Projects returned to the wreck site on Wednesday afternoon after a fuel leak was reported. A team of divers went down to the wreck where a pipe was leaking diesel and immediately plugged the hole. “We have been in contact with the vessel’s owners and insurance to plan the best way to remove the diesel safely,” Kelly said.

The ship’s operators said the Baratz had five fuel tanks on board, holding a potential total of 40 tons of diesel. Kelly said the ship fortunately had no oil other than what was in the engine, which posed no real threat. The ship was reported to have run on biodiesel which, according to Kelly, is not nearly as harmful as regular diesel, but still needs to be cleared out of the water as soon as possible. “The little that has leaked should evaporate soon, but large amounts of biodiesel could have a serious negative impact on the environment,” he said. Kelly said the confined spaces within the wreck could pose some danger to divers with air tanks and bulky equipment, so they were still planning exactly how to approach the operation. “We are still working on the best possible way to remove the fuel, but as soon as we get the go ahead from all parties involved we will be ready.” In the meantime, environmentalist Rainer Schimpf, who operates marine tours in the Algoa Bay area, has questioned why the fuel was not removed immediately after the Baratz sank. “Certainly the ship’s owners and the marine authorities could have foreseen that diesel under the ocean could leak at some point. This whole situation could have been avoided,” he said.