| Seli 1 Shipwreck |
4 x 5 Film was used to capture the wreckage in the sea on Bloubergstrand, Cape Town.
The MVSeli 1 was a Turkishbulk carrier, operated by TEB Maritime of Istanbul, and en route to Gibraltar when it was driven aground off Bloubergstrand near Table Bay by strong westerly winds shortly after midnight on 18 September 2009, having reported engine failure and a snapped anchor chain. The Panamanian-registered ship was carrying a cargo of 30 000 tons of coal, and 660 tons of heavy fuel oil with 60 tons of diesel fuel. The wreck was remarkable for the ensuing lack of interest shown in its removal by the owners, the insurers (Russian P&I Pool) and the South African authorities viz. South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), the Department of Transport, the Department of Environmental Affairs, Transnet Ports Authority and the City of Cape Town.
The vessel was branded an eyesore and was clearly visible from tourist beaches and Table Mountain. It was registered to Turkey's Ataduru Denizcilik.
On 3 June 2010 the bridge and crew's quarters exploded and burnt, set on fire by the oxy-acetylene cutting torches of a team of 22 salvers from the South African Maritime Safety Authority working on the ship, and who had to be rescued by the launch Spirit of Vodacom. Officials of SAMSA said they would take no action as the situation “could be dangerous”, and that it would be left to burn. The City of Cape Town’s fire chief officer confirmed that the National Port Authority had been notified, and had declined to comment since it was outside normal office hours. The piecemeal dismantling of the wreck was still under way in April 2011. A SAMSA spokesman stated they intended weakening the hull with explosives and that with the help of winter storms the vessel should be gone by the end of 2012.
A positive effect of the wreck's position was the forming of straight sand banks that created waves relished by the surfing community. Dolphin Beach had produced boring wave geometry before the ship’s stranding, but had now become a popular surf spot, well-populated on most days and had been the venue for a number of high-profile contests. Surfing the wreck involved a long and tricky paddle, and often the water was oily.
Every surfer understands a simple fact: never underestimate the power of the ocean. Once again, this adage proved true as another giant winter swell tore apart the Seli-1 wreck, which lies off the backline at a beach in Table View near Cape Town. The result is a kilometre-long oil slick that has put Koeberg on high alert, and black surf breaking for several kilometres along the coast between Table View and Blouberg.
Special oil prevention booms have been put in place around the entrance to the Milnerton Lagoon, and cleanup operations continue. You see it on TV all the time, dying birds soaking in black goo being pulled out of the water by concerned environmentalists.
It isn’t until something like this happens in your back yard that the reality sinks in - how fragile the system and vulnerable the planet is.
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