Coal transport accidents in South Africa

This article is a stub. You can help by expanding it.

This article is part of the Coal Issues portal on SourceWatch, a project of Global Energy Monitor and the Center for Media and Democracy. See here for help on adding material to CoalSwarm.

This article is part of the CoalSwarm coverage of coal transport accidents

Articles:

Pasha Bulker coal ship runs aground at Newcastle, Australia, 2007; Shen Neng 1 bulk coal ship collision with the Great Barrier Reef, 2010; The sinking of the MV Rak off Mumbai, India, 2011; Drummond dumps coal overboard to prevent barge sinking, 2013; Sinking of the MV Smart near Richards Bay, South Africa, 2013; and The grounding of the Amakusa Island ship in Prince Rupert harbour, British Columbia, Canada, 2014. The sinking of the Phu Cuong 0148 in Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam, 2014; Coal exports (global)

Sub-articles:

Coal transport accidents in South Africa include the:

• a Greek-owned but Panamanian registered ship, MV Smart, was carrying an estimated 140,000 tonnes of South African coal when it was grounded on a sandbank after loading at the Richards Bay Coal Terminal. The MV Smart was carrying a shipment of coal to the Fangcheng port in China. Platts reported that the ship suffered engine failure and was pushed by 10 metres seas onto the sandbank. After the ship became stranded three tug boats attempted to pull the vessel off but later in the day it buckled and then broke in two. The crew of 23 were airlifted off the ship. Platts reported that "the ship had been chartered by Chinese trader Minmetals and was carrying 5,500 kcal/kg NAR South African thermal coal bought from a Swiss trading house." It was reported that the ship lost steering four minutes after the harbour pilot handed control of the ship over to its captain. While the tugboats returned to assist the ship, they weren't strong enough to keep the ship from grounding, according to the South African Maritime Safety Authority.

The MV Smart was reported to be carrying up to 2,000 tonnes of oil. The Department of Environmental Affairs said that the priority of an emergency response team was protect the Mhlathuze Sanctuary south of the wreck."The sanctuary is a breeding and nursing area for important fish species, and it provides a home to over 20000 birds," said Zolile Nqayi, a spokesman for the Department of Environmental Affairs.

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

• South Africa and coal
• Coal transport accidents
• Coal transport accidents in Australia
• Coal transport accidents in Colombia
• Coal transport accidents in India
• Coal transport accidents in New Zealand
• Coal transport accidents in South Africa