AFRICANA

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Crew pumped water into fuel tanks, research vessel disabled

The "RS Africana" had to be towed back to Simon’s Town Naval Base with engine failure after its naval crew pumped water into its fuel tanks on Nov 4, 2012. The vessel was two weeks into a crucial annual survey of pelagic fish stocks when the incident happened off the entrance to False Bay, and it was towed back to port by a naval vessel in the evening. Either sea water had been pumped into the fuel tanks instead of into the ballast tanks or fresh water had got into the fuel. The "RS Africana" had sailed on Oct 23 and had already completed its pelagic survey of most of the West Coast region when the incident happened. In May, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed that a 50-day research trip, scheduled for mid-April, had been postponed, then cancelled, because of the “shocking state” of the "RS Africana". Problems included rusted and corroded pipes, corroded cranes, out-of-date fire extinguishers, defective valves and an oil leak on the auxiliary generator.

FRS Africana damaged in grounding

The "Africana" arrived back in the naval base of Cape Town on June 15, 2011, after hitting an unknown object off Cape Agulhas the day before. The ship was severely damaged, and there was flooding in the sonar compartment which was being controlled by means of dewatering pumps. Around 4 p.m. all watertight compartments had been sealed, and the vessel was heading for Simon’s Town. The Fisheries Patrol vessel "Lilian Ngoyi" sailed from Simon’s Town late in the evening to provide assistance to the casualty, which was by then six miles off Quoin Point, about 130 km from Simon’s Town. In addition, the "Sarah Baartman" was also placed on standby. Once in port, scientific staff - 13 from the department’s Fisheries branch, and four from the Department of Environmental Affairs - disembarked. The ship had been on the second leg of an annual Pelagic Recruitment Survey when it ran aground on June 15 at 10 a.m. on its way from Cape Point to Port Alfred. The first leg of the survey which was to estimate the supply stock of young sardines and anchovies in South African waters, was from May 24 to June 8 from the Orange River to Cape Point. The second leg was supposed to go from Cape Point to Port Alfred, running from June 8 to June 24. Due to the accident it will not be completed. The cause of the accident was still unknown. The ship also had on board a crew of 33 from SMIT Amandla Marine, the company managing the vessel on behalf of the Fisheries branch.