Adverse weather Conditions Hinder Cleanup and Salvage Efforts in South Africa.

Officials recently provided an update on the clean-up and salvage efforts for the cargo ship, Ultra Galaxy, which grounded and broke up on a remote part of the South African coast north of Cape Town. Despite facing difficult weather conditions that broke the vessel and hindered oil retrieval efforts, teams are continuing their struggle.

Richard Robertson, general manager of Smit Salvage, highlighted the challenging conditions, stating that the Cape of Storms lived up to its name. With only one calm day in 10 days of operation, the teams faced yet another winter storm over the weekend, further complicating the salvage mission.

The primary focus remains on locating and removing the remaining oil aboard the Ultra Galaxy. The vessel, which broke into two ahead of Frame 35, suffered additional stress fractures in several places. Salvage team members are being airlifted onto the wreck by helicopters, facing the challenge of drilling into tanks to determine the amount of oil remaining aboard. Fuel tank breaches and leaks have already been identified, with plans in place for extraction once located.

Source .