Maritime authorities fear this may be the bay’s worst oil disaster in many years, while conservationists are concerned about the impact the spill will have on the region’s already vulnerable penguin populations and other sea life.
Stephen van der Spuy, veterinarian and executive director of the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob), said there were 90 oiled penguins and 61 abandoned chicks at the rescue centres in Port Elizabeth and Cape St Francis.
Captain Neville Noble, port manager for the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) at Ngqura, said the owners of a ship suspected of having caused the spill were fined R350 000 for spilling 100 litres of oil during a ship-to-ship transfer last Sunday.
It was initially reported as a diesel spill, but this was not the case.
