Effective planning and oversight between the office of the Port of Saldanha’s Harbour Master, African Marine Solutions, the South African Maritime Safety Authority and SpillTech resulted in the successful first sludge transfer operation at the port last month.
About 104 m3 of sludge was transferred from the MV Pacific Queen onto the SA Amandla tug during the operation, which was overseen by General Purpose Rating (GPR) acting pollution officer Mathew Blaauw.
Sludge is the residual waste oil products generated during the normal operation of a ship. It is essential for the material to be disposed of responsibly to protect the environment.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) said the sludge transfer service is generally provided while a vessel is alongside a berth and not at anchorage.
However, with a length and breadth of 291.8 × 45 m, the MV Pacific Queen was too large to be accommodated at the berth and the operation, therefore, took place while the vessel was at anchor.
“TNPA is pleased to be able to offer a sludge transfer service at the Port of Saldanha, which is good news for vessel owners and shipping lines making use of our port,” commented Port of Saldanha Harbour Master Captain Quenton Brink in a statement on Tuesday.
“This will be of great benefit as we continue to expand the port to serve the oil and gas sector and attract more and larger vessels,” he added.