Penguins monitored after diesel spill
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The penguin colony at Stony Point is one of four mainland colonies in South Africa. Picture: Henk Kruger
Cape Town - Penguins in the Stony Point Penguin
Colony near Betty’s Bay will be monitored this week after 10 000 litres
of diesel spilt from a wrecked boat threatened the colony.
About 4 000 penguins and 400 nests of various
seabirds were exposed to contamination when the fishing trawler Connect,
carrying 10 000 litres of diesel and 80 litres of engine oil, ran
aground 5km from the Betty’s Bay Marine Protected Area last Thursday.
The area was closed as authorities prepared to examine the penguin and seabirds for diesel contamination. CapeNature spokesperson Justin Lawrence said
although the diesel was not visible and authorities were unable to
determine how far it had spread, the colony had been reopened and
penguins and seabirds were back in the water.
SA Maritime Safety Authority principal officer
Gustav Louw said his team of surveyors responsible for the clean-up of
the Connect said they were met by a strong diesel stench when they went
out to the wreck last week. “Fortunately diesel will eventually evaporate and disintegrate. It won’t be a threat to the environment forever,” said Louw.
Nicky Stander, rehabilitation manager at SA
National Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob),
said because the water was not 100 percent diesel-free, Sanccob and
officials of the Overberg Municipality would visually inspect the birds
this week. “The white parts of their bodies would turn a yellowish colour from the diesel. If a rescuer spots a penguin that cannot move
its wings or it appears fragile, they would immediately try to catch the
bird and then treat it,” Stander said.
She said seabirds were more difficult to monitor because their nests were scattered high above sea level. “Unfortunately, we would most likely only be able to spot whether a bird has been contaminated long after it has gotten sick. Diesel would cause the bird to lose its appetite and become frail,” Stander said.
She added that rescuers were not just dealing
with the birds from the Stony Point area, but others, too, as might come
to feed at the area. “We are not only dealing with the birds from
this colony, but will have to monitor those from other colonies as
well,” said Stander.
The Connect had eight crew aboard when it ran aground last week. NSRI spokesman Craig Lambinon said five of the
boat’s crew had jumped to safety aboard a life raft, while three others
stayed on board. They later tried to jump to safety, but one of the men, a 43-year-old believed to be from Strandfontein, went missing. Rescuers in a Skymed helicopter later spotted his body washed up on rocks.
Louw said the SA Maritime Safety Authority and
the Connect’s crew would this week continue to salvage as much of the
boat as possible. - Cape Times
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Penguin colony reopens after ship runs aground
2014-03-04
Cape Town – Betty’s Bay’s penguin colony has been
reopened to visitors after a ship carrying 10 000 litres of oil ran
aground close by, causing concern over the seabirds’ wellbeing.
The Stony Point colony was closed to the public on Thursday last week after an early morning accident where a 19-metre fishing trawler crashed on rocks about 5km away from the penguins.
A seabird and animal rescue team had been stationed at Stony Point to observe seabirds for oil contamination.
Die Burger reports that Marietjie Engelbrecht, a spokesperson for CapeNature confirmed that no penguins had been affected and that the colony is open to visitors once more.
The ship has in the mean time been broken into pieces by Samsa for removal from the rocks and the owner of the vessel has appointed a company to assist in the process once weather conditions along the coastline have improved.
The Stony Point colony was closed to the public on Thursday last week after an early morning accident where a 19-metre fishing trawler crashed on rocks about 5km away from the penguins.
A seabird and animal rescue team had been stationed at Stony Point to observe seabirds for oil contamination.
Die Burger reports that Marietjie Engelbrecht, a spokesperson for CapeNature confirmed that no penguins had been affected and that the colony is open to visitors once more.
The ship has in the mean time been broken into pieces by Samsa for removal from the rocks and the owner of the vessel has appointed a company to assist in the process once weather conditions along the coastline have improved.
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