Salvage of Grounded Ultra Galaxy Hampered by ‘Cape of Storms’ Weather

Salvage operations on the Panama-registered cargo vessel MV Ultra Galaxy are set to resume this week following a period of stormy winter weather that hit South Africa’s west coast over the weekend.

The salvage team, which has been working on the vessel since early July, cited persistent poor weather conditions as the primary challenge in offloading the vessel’s cargo, which has already been lost at sea, as well as its fuel and oil. Some of the fuel and oil has spilled into the sea after storage tanks were breached about a week ago.

The salvage team, which has been working on the vessel since early July, has faced persistent poor weather conditions, complicating the offloading of the vessel’s lost cargo, fuel, and oil. Some fuel and oil have spilled into the sea due to breached storage tanks about a week ago.

The 124.56-meter-long Ultra Galaxy, built in 2008, was en route from Malaga, Spain to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania when it was abandoned on July 9 after developing a severe list. The vessel later grounded along South Africa’s remote west coast in harsh weather conditions and has since broken into four sections. All 18 Filipino crew members were rescued from a life raft.

The incident comes amid increasing maritime traffic around the Cape of Good Hope, as more ships reroute to avoid Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

A national media briefing at the wreck site 300km northwest of Cape Town was organized by SAMSA and IMOrg, with stakeholders such as salvage and oil spill management companies, vessel insurers, and the DFFE in attendance. SAMSA Acting Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Tau Morwe, stressed the importance of transparency, allowing the media to fully understand the environmental conditions and the complexities of the salvage operation.

Smit Salvage South Africa general manager, Richard Robertson, detailed the significant challenges posed by the harsh winter weather. After initially retrieving about eight tons of lubricating oils and low sulfur fuels, the vessel was battered by inclement weather and broke into four pieces. This breach led to a fuel and oil spill, necessitating a major clean-up operation along the adjacent coastal area.

“It is not called the Cape of Storms for no reason,” said Robertson, acknowledging the daunting task ahead.

The briefing also included insights from the vessel insurer’s representative, Michael Heads, Managing Director of 2Oceans P&I Correspondents, Rudolph Pint, Salvage Master at Smit Salvage South Africa, SAMSA Chief Operations Officer, Sobantu Tilayi, and Siboniso Ngema, Commercial and Human Resources Director at SpillTech.

You can watch the media briefing below:

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