South African officials reported that the first phase of the recovery effort for the grounded bulker Ultra Galaxy has been completed. With a break in the harsh winter weather, they report progress is being made while cautioning that another cold front is due to cross the area in the coming days.
The Ultra Galaxy developed a severe list on July 9 during a winter storm off South Africa’s west coast forcing the crew to abandon ship. The crew was rescued by a fishing boat in the area and transferred to shore and later returned home to the Philippines. The vessel continued to drift grounding on a remote part of the Atlantic coast.
“The immediate emergency phase of the salvage operation has concluded,” the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) reported in its latest update. “This phase included the search and recovery of flotsam and other debris from the ship and sealing the fuel tanks to prevent any oil from spilling into the ocean. A new salvage company, Smit International, has since been appointed to carry on the next phase.”
Earlier this week, on July 23, dive inspections rechecked the structural integrity of the ship and its fuel tanks. In the next phase, the salvage team will be installing a monitoring system that will track the ship’s movement, stresses, and bending forces on the hull as the vessel lies on its side in the surf.
A bathymetric survey is also underway in the waters around the Ultra Galaxy and further off the coast. These steps will help the salvage team plan for the removal of the vessel.
Debris has been removed from the beach (SAMSA)
High seas in the days after the ship grounded dislodged hatch covers which were found washed ashore and floating in the bay. In addition, SAMSA warned that the cargo of bagged fertilizer had been exposed to the ocean. While much of it was thought to have dissolved in the ocean, plastic bags were washing up on shore.
As a next step, SAMSA reports a platform supply vessel will be anchored near the wreck. It will be used the help stabilize the ship. Previously, SAMSA said the plan also called for offloading the fuel and other oils from the ship.
While progress has been made as the weather subsided, they are expecting more severe weather conditions this weekend. They expect the pace of the efforts will be slowed while the concern remains that the vessel could break apart.
