Pretoria - The City of Cape Town says Seli1 wreck reduction operations have been successful.
The South African Navy has been dismantling the vessel piece by piece, using explosives, since March this year.
The Turkish carrier ran aground in 2009 and has caused two oil spills over the past three years.
In a statement, the city said a recent follow-up assessment of the Seli 1 wreck off the Table View coastline, has confirmed that the operation has been a success.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith, expressed thanks to the Navy for their assistance with the wreck reduction operation.
“We are extremely grateful to the Operational Diving Team of the South African Navy for their effort and time in assisting with the wreck reduction. The results to date indicate that the operation has been a huge success. The Task Team is looking to address the remaining two areas of concern, given the fact that Table View is a key recreational area and the safety of recreational users is a priority,” said Smith.
The city appealed to the public to not approach the submerged wreck.
The wreck area is identified by means of an orange buoy, which has been positioned as a precautionary measure to prevent injury.
“The public and in particular recreational users such as kite surfers are warned to not approach within 100 metres of the wreck from any direction as it remains dangerous,” said the city.
The assessment revealed that the hull has completely split apart and collapsed and is lying on the sea floor with most of the hull up to a depth of eight to 10 metres below the sea level. The bow section has been successfully reduced, with the highest point 5 metres below the sea level.
The reduction of the wreck is expected to limit the erosion of the Table View coastline, which was being caused by the wreck. More significantly, it appears that there is no further threat of oil spills, onshore pollution and contamination of marine life as there are no remaining pollutants trapped in the wreck.
The assessment has, however, identified two portions – the aft and crane sections – which require further intervention to ensure that these do not pose a hazard to recreational users. In the interests of the safety of recreational users, the Task Team is currently looking at ways to address these portions, including possible further reduction by means of cutting. - SAnews.gov.za
