MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Oiled Penguin Rescue Continues

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Oiled Penguins St Croix
Oiled Penguin rescue underway off of St Croix. Photo: NSRI

Ian Gray, NSRI Port Elizabeth station commander, said:

At 08h00, Saturday, 20th August, NSRI Port Elizabeth duty crew launched the sea rescue craft Eikos Rescuer IV and Spirit of Surfski II and the SA National Parks (SANParks) rigid inflatable boat JMB Malusi, skippered by NSRI, was launched carrying NSRI volunteers, SANParks rangers and SANCCOB (SA Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) members following a request by SANParks made to NSRI Port Elizabeth to assist in the search and recovery of oiled African Penguins at St Croix Island and the adjacent smaller Jaheel Island and Brenton Island (off-shore of the Deepwater Port of Ngqura), Algoa Bay, Port Elizabeth.

During this past week SANParks and SANCCOB had reportedly recovered a number of oiled Penguins in the area washed up on beaches suspected to have been oiled from an oil spill believed to have occurred during a ship to ship oil transfer that is still under investigation by SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority). Today SANParks appealed to NSRI Port Elizabeth to assist in the search and recovery operation that extended to the three Islands off-shore of the Port of Ngqura.

(Editor: See more about the Ship to Ship Fuel Transfer operation here: Ships to be refuelled in Algoa Bay)

NSRI, SANCCOB and SANParks recovered 47 Penguins (32 adult and 15 chicks) in todays operation which started at 08h00 and was completed at around 13h45.
They were located and recovered from St Croix Island and Jaheel Island. No affected Penguins were located on Brenton Island.

We circled the Islands looking for affected Penguins and once located we put rescue teams ashore over rocks to safely capture the Penguins. The operation was made difficult by rough sea conditions.

The Penguins were brought into the Port of Ngqura aboard the sea rescue craft and aboard the SANParks craft and they have been transported to treatment centres at SAMREC (SA Marine Rehabilitation Centre) in Port Elizabeth and SANCCOB in Cape St Francis.

SANCCOB have appealed for towels and newspapers, used in the cleaning of the Penguins, to be brought to their offices in Cape St Francis or dropped off at Wimpy in Jeffreys Bay.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.