September 2011 | nautilusint.org | telegraph | 19 SAFETY AT SEA


Neglected by the world’s media, a potentially devastating shipping accident has put the environment and the economy at risk in the remote UK overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha. The incident also led to a remarkable rescue mission by the crews of ships in the area...


Zodiacs from the passengership Prince Albert II helped to rescue the crew of the grounded bulker Oliva An island at risk


the face of South Atlantic storms of the master and 22 crew from a bulk carrier wrecked off the UK overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha — the world’s most remote inhabited island. Only by the bravery of island- ers, and the crews of two ships which happened to be in the area, was it possible to save the men after the Maltese-fl agged bulk carrier Oliva grounded on rocks at Spinners Point, Nightingale Island, on Wednesday 16 March this year.


A The Greek-operated 75,028


dwt vessel was en route from Santos in Brazil to Singapore, carrying 65,266 tonnes of soya beans, when it grounded and subsequently began to break up — posing potentially devastat- ing consequences for the islands’ wildlife, economy and the 263 inhabitants. Tristan administrator Sean


Burns has spoken of the ‘absolute mystery’ of why the ship, in good weather conditions and in waters charted for centuries, should have grounded. Offi cials from the fl ag state, Malta, are conducting an inquiry and have promised to publish a full report. A voluntary evacuation of 10


of the 22 crew onboard to the Tris- tan crayfi sh-fi shing vessel Edin- burgh, which was in the vicinity, was launched on the same day and a salvage tug was sent from Cape Town, some 1,750 miles away, with a salvage team, a naval architect, divers and an environ- mental adviser onboard. A management team to deal with the situation was set up, led by the Tristan administrator,


An extraordinary story has emerged of a remarkable rescue in


with fi sheries offi cer James Glass, search and rescue police inspec- tor Conrad Glass, conservation offi cer Trevor Glass and head of communications Andy Repetto. Offers of assistance were


received from organisations including the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency, the RSPB and the International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation. Concerns were raised immedi-


ately that any oil spillage would damage the island’s land and marine environment — includ- ing the mainstay of its economy, the fi shery.


The conservation team imme-


diately prepared to travel to Nightingale Island as soon as sea conditions would allow, with the aim of setting bait stations in case rodents came ashore. With the weather at Spinners


Point worsening, the crew remain- ing onboard Oliva were evacu- ated by the Edinburgh’s Captain Clarence October, assisted by staff in Zodiacs from the cruise- ship Prince Albert II, under Cap- tain Alexander Golubev (who had answered calls for assistance). The crew had to be caught by those waiting below in the Zodiacs as they jumped off the pilot ladder in dangerous sea conditions. The rescued crew were taken to the settlement of Edinburgh- of-the-Seven-Seas on Tristan da Cunha, where they were lodged, fed and clothed by the islanders until another ship arrived to take them home. Many of the island- ers are themselves descendants of sailors shipwrecked in years gone by.


By the Friday, Oliva broke


her back in the force of a relent- less swell and the wreck began to break up. Flows of oil were all


around Nightingale’s coast. Tristan is the one of the most


important centres in the world for breeding sea birds and the late austral summer season is crucial, as all adults fl y daily to catch fi sh for their rapidly maturing chicks. It was feared that two of the islands in the Tristan archipelago which are UNESCO World Herit- age Sites — Inaccessible Island and Gough Island — might also be at risk from oil pollution. An environmental assessor


onboard the fi rst salvage tug to reach the site estimated that up to 20,000 oiled penguins might be present, and the fi shery around


both Nightingale and Inaccessi- ble Islands was closed, pending advice. By now, it had been agreed that


the wreck should be left to break up: lying in two main sections, exposed to the prevailing NW winds. But the toll of the pollu- tion continued to mount: a slick eight miles offshore was more or less around the whole island, with the smell of diesel everywhere, and heavy crude oil and lots of tar balls were reported on the water 4.5 miles south of Nightingale. A remarkable wildlife rescue


operation now got under way. Working closely with a sea bird


specialist, the Tristan conserva- tion team carefully collected oiled Rockhopper Penguins from Nightingale, Inaccessible and Middle Islands to transport them to the main Tristan island, where personnel and facilities were available to stabilise, clean and eventually release them. More than 3,700 oiled pen-


guins were eventually taken to the main Tristan island for clean- ing and rehabilitation; despite the best efforts of the islanders and the rescued seamen, conser- vation workers from South Africa, Tristan and the UK, only 10% sur- vived and it was three months


Nautilus calls for UK investigation


Nautilus International is urging the UK to ensure that a full investigation is carried out to establish the reasons why the Maltese-fl agged Oliva ran aground on a remote island in the South Atlantic — some 1,500 miles from the nearest land mass. The Union has written to the shipping minister, Mike


Penning, to ask if the UK has any intention of conducting its own inquiries into the incident on the grounds that it occurred in the UK overseas territory of Tristan da Cunha. General secretary Mark Dickinson said Malta, as


the ship’s fl ag state, has indicated that it is carrying out an investigation into what Tristan administrator Sean Burns described as the ‘absolute mystery’ of why the Oliva grounded in good weather conditions at around 0510 local time. Although Transport Malta has promised to publish


a full report, Nautilus is asking the UK whether it is content to rely upon the Maltese investigations or


whether — as eff ective ‘coastal state’ — it will carry out its own inquiries into the causes. ‘This was an incident that presented potentially


devastating consequences for the islands’ wildlife, economy and the 263 inhabitants,’ Mr Dickinson pointed out. ‘The case of the Oliva is just one of a series of recent incidents in which large vessels equipped with hi-tech navigational equipment “hit” remote islands in mid- ocean. ‘Given the economic and environmental signifi cance


of the accident and the apparent parallels with other incidents, I believe it is very important, therefore, that a satisfactory investigation takes place to determine the causes of the Oliva’s loss,’ he added. ‘It is clear that there are important issues at stake and potentially critical lessons to be learned, and I hope the UK will do its utmost to ensure that everything is done to secure a thorough and transparent inquiry.’


before the fi nal batch could be released.


The rescued captain and his


crew were collected by a sister vessel after their stay on Tristan and at one time, no fewer than fi ve ships — believed to be a record for this tiny community — were anchored off the island partici- pating in rescue, clean-up and survey work. Work now continues between


the Tristan and UK governments, the ship’s owners and insurers and other interested parties to determine the long-term effects on the island, its fi shery and econ- omy and the level of compensa- tion which will have to be paid. The governor of St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha, Andrew Gurr, said the Tristan government is commit- ted to ensuring that the ship’s owners will meet the full cost of the clean-up, damage and any subsequent losses arising from the situation.


Questioned by UK MPs, minis-


ter for overseas territories Henry Bellingham said the British gov- ernment is extremely concerned by the situation and he was ensur- ing the Tristan authorities have the advice and support they need. He pointed out the longer term impacts on the wildlife and fi sh- eries will take time to assess. ‘The responsibility to clean up the damage caused to this pre- cious environment and to com- pensate the Tristan community for any losses they may suffer lies with the ship’s owners and insur- ers. We are ensuring that they continue to meet this responsibil- ity in full,’ he added. ‘The remote- ness of the site and the demand- ing conditions mean that this is a very diffi cult operation.’


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39