THE EPITAPH on the watery grave of the bulk carrier Treasure is final, with measures now in place aimed at safeguarding her from causing any further distress to man or nature.
Salvage operators Smit Pentow Marine have confirmed that the final stage of what amounted to a navigational hazard - sawing the top accommodation deck from the vessel's main body - had been completed.
When the huge vessel carrying iron ore from Brazil to China sank off the Cape West coast, only 12 km off Melkbosstrand, on June 23 last year, she came to rest upright in only 50 metes of water, posing a hazard as part of her superstructure (the antennae) was still visible.
The damaged Panamanian-registered vessel with a huge hole in its hull was being towed 50 miles offshore after disgorging about 400 tons of oil, wreaking havoc on the Cape's birdlife and pristine beaches, when she sank.
It was tantamount to a disaster of international proportions and a logistical nightmare as 21 000 oil-soaked penguins were rescued and another 19 000 clean birds evacuated
to the cleaner waters of Algoa Bay to swim home to either Dassen Island or Robben Island.
A team of professional salvors using a 100mm high-tensile chain drawn backward and forward in a sawing motion between winches separated most of the superstructure from the wreck.
During the operation pulling tensions of up to 350 tons were achieved. Once cutting was complete, the superstructure was pulled off using the same winches and allowed to topple and settle alongside the hull.
Cape Town lawywer Johan Swart of the firm Shepstone and Wylie, representing Universal Pearl SA of Panama and Good Faith Shipping of Greece, owners and managers respectively of Treasure, told FTW this week that the cost of this latest exercise amounted to around US$2million which now allowed for a water clearance of about 25,5 metres above the wreck.
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