The dumping of about 1 500 tons of chemicals from the NS Qingdao bulk carrier into the sea about 250km off St Helena Bay appears to have caught the Saldanha Municipality in South Africa off guard.
The dump is being supervised by the SA Maritime Authority (Samsa) and licensed by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), which issued an emergency dumping permit to the ship.
However, Wouter Kriel, spokesperson of Local Government, Environmental Affairs MEC Anton Bredell, said the provincial department was aware of the issue and was taking part in the Joint Operations Committee under the lead of the DFFE and Samsa.
Reacting to news of the dumping, Saldanha mayor André Truter (DA) said he was shocked and disappointed.
Through spokesperson Tereza Burger, he said: “Unfortunately, prior consultation and engagement with the municipality and residents did not take place. An in-depth understanding of the environmental impact is required.”
Read more:
https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/municipality-caught-off-guard-by-ship-dumping-toxic-waste-off-the-west-coast-696e56fd-5723-42a5-aca8-9a1bdc8507a6