- Authorities working to identify source of washed up pills
- Take washed up items to dropoff points officials urge
The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) says no fewer than six ships have lost cargo off the South African coast in recent weeks. SAMSA says it is working to identify the vessel responsible for the pharmaceutical bottles and is actively involved in response efforts to ensure minimal environmental impact.
District disaster management officials yesterday confirmed that items from containers lost at sea continue to wash up along the Eastern Cape coastline and that the latest report indicated a container had been sighted at Jeffreys Bay. This comes after thousands of medicine containers with pills inside washed up on Port Alfred’s East Beach on Tuesday.
Khanyisa Majokweni, Senior Manager: Disaster Management in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality yesterday updated community media and government communications officers on the situation.
“When we received a report from Ndlambe Municipality [Tuesday] about items found along beach we immediately established a joint operations committee,” Majokweni said. “We are dealing with this both in terms of both disaster and environmental management.”
Majokweni said since the pill bottles washed up on East Beach on Tuesday, items had been found along the Ndlambe coastline west of Port Alfred.
“Ndlambe officials walked for 8km along the beach from Boknes. They found not only pills, but also two-litre bottles of oil and other items,” Majokweni said. Because the first thing to wash up was medication, the hospital, which has access to safe disposal facilities, continued to provide storage space. SAMSA had asked for the goods not to be destroyed until their source had been identified.
“SAMSA will appoint a service provider who deals with chemical accidents to conduct cleanup operations,” Majokweni said. They were in Port Alfred [Wednesday] he said.
Majokweni had just received news of two containers floating off the coastline at Jeffreys Bay. The Cape St Francis fire station had been established as the drop-off point for any items found on the shoreline.
“We are not sure if anything has washed up as far as Tsitsikamma,: Majokweni said. The district JOC was scheduled to meet [Wednesday] afternoon with officials from Eastern Cape local and metro municipalities including Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City, Amathole, OR Tambo and Port St Johns Local Municipality.
“This is affecting all coastal towns,” Majokweni said. “We urge authorities to emphasise to coastal communities that they should not consume anything they find washed up on the shore. They should take it to the identified dropoff points in those municipalities.”
Majokweni said the total of pill bottles brought to the dropoff point in Port Alfred had risen to 11500.
Meanwhile the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) says it is aware of the container that washed ashore on the East Coast near Port St Johns last week.
“In addition, SAMSA has been informed of pharmaceutical bottles containing pills that have been washing ashore in the Port Alfred, Kenton, Cannon Rocks, and Boknes areas since Monday, 9 September 2024,” spokesperson Tebego Ramatjie said in a statement.
“In recent weeks, there have been several incidents involving the loss of containers at sea, including those involving the MV Benjamin Franklin, the MV CMA CGM Belem, MV Maersk Stepnica, MV Rio Grande Express, MSC Antonia and the MV Ultra Galaxy who suffered a cargo shift, abandoned, and eventually ran aground off the West Coast,” Ramatjie said. “These incidents highlight the risks posed by severe weather and the challenges of responding to coastal shipping emergencies.”
SAMSA had been actively involved in response efforts to ensure minimal environmental impact. For the identification, analysis and safe disposal of the pharmaceutical products SAMSA was working through the Incident Management cluster which included the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), South African Police Service (SAPS), Eastern Cape Disaster Management and the South African Health Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).
“The loss of containers at sea poses potential risks to navigation and the environment, and efforts are underway to monitor and address any hazards that may arise. SAMSA is currently working to identify the vessel responsible for the pharmaceutical bottles washing ashore. The organisation is closely monitoring the coastline in collaboration with local authorities to track any further containers or goods that may wash ashore” Ramatjie said.
A navigation warning to all vessels operating along the East Coast remained active, advising them to navigate with caution. Vessels and the public were urged to report any sightings of the lost containers to the relevant authorities by contacting the Maritime Rescue Coordinating Centre (MRCC) at 021 938 3300 with the position, container number, and colour of the containers if observed.
“The owners of the vessels are fully cooperating with SAMSA and other relevant authorities and have committed to undertaking clean-up operations along the coastline should any contamination or further cargo loss occur,” Ramatjie said.
- Talk of the Town hasd requested details of drop-off points other than Port Alfred Hospital for found items and wil update here as soon as we receive that information.
