On Thursday, 03 June, 2010 at approximately 15h00 NSRI Melkbosstrand were activated following reports of a fire broken out on the Seli I wreck lying off-shore of Bloubergstrand (Seli I ran aground 9 months ago).
NSRI Melkbosstrand dispatched a rescue craft and a rescue vehicle to the scene to investigate.
NSRI Table Bay, the Metro Ambulance and Rescue Services, Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services, Cape Town Traffic Services, Disaster Management, the SA Police Services, Metro Police and the Police Dive Unit were activated after it was confirmed that the aft of Seli I was ablaze.
NSRI Table Bay dispatched the rescue craft Spirit of Vodacom.
The Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter was placed on alert and the Discovery Medicopter was dispatched to give an aerial assessment and to investigate if there were persons aboard.
[ad#Google Adsense 125×125 Blog Post]It was confirmed that 24 people were on-board and the Transnet National Ports Authority dispatched the vessel North Star and on arrival on-scene all 24 people were taken off the ship safely and they were transferred aboard the NSRI Spirit of Vodacom and brought into the Table Bay Port. None of the 24 crew were injured and they required no medical attention.
It appears that the 24 men on-board of the vessel were part of an authorised salvage team using cutting equipment to remove steel as part of the SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority) ongoing effort to strip the wreck.
It is suspected that a fire broke out during work being done on the vessel and after it was ascertained that the fire could not be controlled the work crew moved away from the fire by moving forward on the deck and out of harms way. It has been confirmed that they were well away from any imminent danger when they were picked up by the vessel North Star.
Shortly after the men were removed from the vessel emergency response teams were released from the scene and a small contingent of emergency vehicles from Cape Town Fire and Rescue Services will remain on the land side to continue to monitor the blaze but no efforts are to be employed to fight the blaze at this stage and the wreck is expected to burn out naturally. This situation will continue to be monitored by City Authorities.
There is reportedly no immediate environmental impact expected and only small amounts of coal are reportedly still on the vessel which poses no immediate threat.
Small explosions occurred during the early part of the blaze and these explosions may continue and are suspected to be related to the type of cutting equipment that was being used by salvers but which reportedly pose no immediate threat.
Sightseers are asked to keep a safe distance and paddlers, boaters and surfers are requested to not approach the vessel while it continues to burn.
A dedicated water borne police unit will be deployed to usher any boaters or paddlers (who get too close to the vessel) away for safety reasons.
The Transnet National Ports Authority and SAMSA will continue to monitor the situation.
