Pine Trader’
18 May - present
Bulk carrier ‘Pine Trader’ was en route to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, with 220 tonnes of fuel onboard and carrying a cargo of 20500 tonnes of bagged rice when she suffered an engine failure off the coast of Cape Town.
On Monday 18 May, the Master of the ‘Pine Trader’ advised the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) that the vessel had lost main engine power and that there was flooding in the engine room.
Vessels ‘Smit Amandla’ and ‘Smit Lloyd 33’ immediately dispatched
The ‘Smit Amandla’ was dispatched from False Bay and successfully connected up to the stricken vessel shortly after midnight on Monday, preventing her from running aground in the vicinity of Cape Infanta. PetroSA had earlier on 18 May released the ‘Smit Lloyd 33’ to assist as she was located closest to the stricken bulk carrier.
On Tuesday 19 May, SAMSA requested that MCM’s Inshore Patrol Vessel ‘Victoria Mxenge’ be dispatched to the casualty to standby and she took 12 non-essential ship’s crew from the ‘Pine Trader’ onboard. An additional 2 personnel and the ship’s captain have been flown off of the casualty.
Patching the stricken vessel
SMIT Salvage has successfully contained water leakage in the engine room and will begin a process aimed at reinforcing the affected area – a previously patched 2 ½ metre crack in the vessel’s structure. A survey of the structural integrity of the rest of the hull is also underway. On 23 May, a senior South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) Surveyor and NDT Technician were taken out to the casualty and examined the vessel’s shell plating.
Safety of life and protection of the environment are top priorities during this operation and co-operation between SAMSA, Marine & Coastal Management (MCM), relevant authorities and SMIT Salvage continues to be excellent. MCM’s Inshore Patrol Vessel ‘Ruth First’ remains on the scene and plays a critical role as a proactive safety measure to protect life.
Salvage team
The salvage tug ‘SMIT Amandla’ has the casualty under tow and the convoy is presently some 60 miles west of Robben Island. The salvage team on the ‘Pine Trader’ consists of 7 personnel including a Salvage Master, Salvage Engineer and dive personnel. The shoreside support team includes naval architects, diving specialists and technical advisors. 10 ‘Pine Trader’ crew members remain on board, with all non-essential personnel having left the vessel.