The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) reports that a commercial cargo ship that had been abandoned by its crew off the coast of Cape Town earlier this week has now run aground off South Africa's west coast.
The Panama-registered general cargo vessel Ultra Galaxy had continued to drift after it developed a heavy list, prompting its crew to evacuate into a waiting liferaft, on Monday, July 8. All 18 crewmembers were later safely rescued by responding Good Samaritan fishing boats and cargo vessels.
The grounding occurred just off a remote coastal area known as Brand se Baai. SAMSA said that efforts are now focused on salvage and spill response as the ship still had low-sulphur fuel and hydraulic oil as well as a cargo of fertiliser.
Two tugs have since arrived in the area to assist in the salvage effort. One of the tugs is carrying personnel and spill recovery equipment that had been loaded at Cape Town.
