New danger for Algoa Bay’s African penguins
Algoa Bay’s precious colony of endangered African penguins is now even more under threat with the launch of off-shore fuelling, SANParks warned this week.
Following a bizarre “oversight” by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), off-shore bunkering was licensed six months ago by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) without any consultation with the organisations working to protect the flagship species, whose population has plummeted 60% since 2004.
Algoa Bay is home to 30000 African penguins, half the global population, and its status as the bird’s last stronghold should have been weighed up against the financial benefits of off-shore bunkering, SANParks’ marine planning manager Dr Ané Oosthuizen said on Thursday.
Flagged as an early indicator of the huge potential of government’s “blue economy” Operation Phakisa, Pireaus-based Aegean’s off-shore bunkering service is attracting ships that would not normally refuel here. The booming new trade is generating millions of rand for Nelson Mandela Bay Metro and South Africa via local crews employed, extra demand for ship chandlers to supply groceries and other goods, and fuel tax levied.
But against these benefits is the dire plight of the penguins, which are buckling under accumulated man-made pressures ranging from overfishing of prey species like sardines to shipping pollution.
“We just can’t afford to lose any more birds,” Bay researcher Dr Lorien Pichegru told Weekend Post this week.
And while the penguin is struggling to survive, so is the South African Marine Rehabilitation and Education Centre (Samrec), the Bay’s only dedicated centre for treating oiled seabirds and marine mammals.
Samrec was established when the Port of Ngqura was built in the early 2000s with the understanding that it would be receiving both start-up funding of R8-million and annual operations funding of R1.5-million from the TNPA. This was in line with the recommendation of the TNPA-appointed Comet consultancy, to help offset the negative environmental affects of the port.
After receiving just a single payment of R1-million, Samrec appealed to the DEA and then took the TNPA to court but their application was finally rejected at the end of last year.
Oosthuizen said the offshore bunkering posed an “imminent threat“ to the penguin colonies on islands of St Croix, Bird, Brenton and Jahleel in the east side of the bay.
“It is happening almost 24/7 so it’s not if a spill will occur – just when. It’s happening 5-6kms from the islands so the tides and winds will push any slick straight onto the penguins.
She said SANParks would have expected an alert from both the DEA and Samsa. “We were not impressed. And it was not only us but all Algoa Bay stakeholders. It seems no-one was consulted. It was a major oversight.
“All we can do now is be ready to respond as fast as possible, in cooperation with Samsa and all other parties, when the spill comes.”
Oosthuizen said the fact that the off-shore bunkering application had not triggered the need for an environmental impact assessment (EIA), which would have included the need for wide consultation and consideration of costs and benefits, was key.
“It’s a major loophole. I’ve spoken to (DEA) Oceans and Coasts and it is being looked at.”
She said SANParks was now in talks with Samsa. “They are now aware of the implications and our hope is we will now be kept in the loop”.
The DEA was sent questions on October 2 but had not responded by the time of going to print.
According to Aegean, it has had just two spills in 195000 transfers world-wide and both those were due to mistakes by the receiving ship. Ironically, the second of these occurred shortly after the company began operations in Algoa Bay. In an incident in August, the Energy Challenger “failed to close a gasket” and 100l was spilled.
Samsa’s head of shipping, Captain Nigel Campbell said Aegean’s application was assessed in terms of the Merchant Shipping Marine Pollution Control and Civil Liability Act.
“There was no EIA required but we were talking to the DEA and assumed they would be engaging with environmental stakeholders.”
Before Aegean was licensed, Samsa did a comprehensive audit which supported the company’s best practice and spill record claims, he stressed.
“Of the 30 applicants, they were the only ones who complied with all our conditions. We checked their past performance and I talked to ports around the world. We spent time at sea with them to monitor and advise and will continue with a monthly on-board check.”
He said Samsa had pursued the off-shore bunkering option because it was best practice globally.
“Landside fuelling is increasingly problematic with maintenance of pipes and detection of leaks. Leaks all seep into the sea anyway. A leak a year ago in Richard’s Bay threatened their mangrove swamps and there are problems right now in Cape Town.”
Ironically again, despite Algoa Bay’s importance for the African penguin, it is the only bay on South Africa’s coast where off-shore bunkering will be taking place.
“Despite its wind, it has the best protected anchorage. We won’t consider anywhere else,” Campbell said.
Aegean South Africa boss Kosta Argyros said done properly off-shore bunkering was the most environmentally friendly way to refuel ships.
“The fuel is transferred from barge to ship through pressure. If the pressure drops 0.1% because of an air bubble or any other problem, the transfer stops.
“If either the captain of the barge or the receiving ship are worried about the swell or wind they will stop.”
Pichegru said she had also not been consulted before the off-shore bunkering was approved but, now the parties were talking, a solution had to be found.
“I have told them they have to at least move further away from the islands to allow time for a spill to be stopped before it gets to the penguins. This seems to have been accepted.”
