Etienne van Zyl, NSRI Durban station commander, said: At 17h15, Wednesday, 14 January, the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) Port of Durban Port Control alerted NSRI Durban to a Malaysian-flagged tug motor vessel with a 100 meter barge that they had under tow that had lost her anchor, approximately 3 nautical miles offshore of Durban.
In strong North-Easterly winds of approximately 25 knots and in 2–3 meter sea swells, the tug was reporting unable to safely hold position.
TNPA Port Control had dispatched the larger AMSOL tug vessel Nomasa to take over the tow, and NSRI Durban duty crew were requested to remain on standby during the operation.
2 NSRI Durban rescue craft, Alick Rennie and Spirit of Surfski 6, were launched at 19h00 on the request to assist in the operation.
In heavy sea conditions, approximately 8 nautical miles South of the Port of Durban, the NSRI rescue craft arrived on the scene alongside the tug and the barge.
Upon arrival, crew of the vessel Nomasa requested NSRI’s assistance to transfer five crew members from the barge onto the Malaysian tug vessel.
The additional crew were required to safely let go of the existing tow and to facilitate the transfer of the barge towline to Nomasa.
A crew transfer was attempted but deemed unsafe, as the barge was only equipped with a short aluminium ladder tied to the railings, which was unsuitable given the prevailing sea conditions.
Due to the challenging conditions, Spirit of Surfski 6 was tasked to collect food and water from the Malaysian tug and transfer provisions to the barge crew, who had run out of supplies.
The transfer of supplies was successfully completed at the aft of the barge where a favourable lee was present.
During this phase, Nomasa advised that they had a pilot ladder available and more suitable.
The NSRI rescue craft Spirit of Surfski 6 collected the pilot ladder from Nomasa and transferred the pilot ladder to the barge. Once the ladder was securely rigged at the aft of the barge, two NSRI MEX (Maritime Extrication) crew members were transferred onto the barge.
The five barge crew members (Kenyan and Malaysian nationals) were each secured into safety harnesses and personal protective gear.
Using the pilot ladder and additional safety lines, all five crew members safely transferred onto NSRI’s Spirit of Surfski 6 and the two NSRI MEX crew members returned to the rescue craft.
All five crew members (of the barge) were then safely transferred under challenging conditions but without incident onto the towing tug.
During the operation wind and strong sea currents caused the tug and barge to drift a further 5 nautical miles South.
The operation was successfully concluded at approximately 01h30.
All involved … NSRI, TNPA, AMSOL and the foreign crews of the affected vessels, are commended for their efforts during this challenging operation.
Cupid Dust
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Skirble
Fun South African Fact: The national animal of South Africa is the Springbok, the only southern African gazelle.