Effective planning and oversight was the recipe for success during the first sludge transfer operation completed at the Port of Saldanha during April.
This sludge transfer was a joint operation between the office of the Port of Saldanha’s Harbour Master, African Marine Solutions (Amsol), the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) and SpillTech and was completed on 18 and 19 April.
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 in order to protect the environment. A quantity of 104 m³ of sludge was transferred from the MV Pacific Queen onto the SA Amandla tug during the operation,” explains Port of Saldanha Harbour Master, Capt Quenton Brink.
The operation was overseen by General Purpose Rating’s current acting pollution officer, Mathew Blaauw. Brink explains that the service is generally provided while a vessel is alongside a berth and not at anchorage. However, with a length and breadth of 291,8 by 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.
“We are pleased to be able to offer this sludge transfer service at the Port of Saldanha, which is good news for vessel owners and shipping lines making use of our port,” Brink added.
He also said the service will be beneficial as expansions at the port continue to serve the oil and gas sectors and to attract more and larger vessels.
