Eveline de Klerk
WALVIS BAY – A tanker vessel will have be pay up for last weekend’s oil spill that occurred in the port of Walvis Bay.
It will also have to fork out for the clean-up of another oil spill that was detected at Longbeach Extension 1, north of Walvis Bay that was traced back to their vessel.
The Namport oil spill occurred over the weekend when the tanker vessel in question leaked heavy-duty oil after one of the vessel’s propeller shafts failed.
The damaged fuel tank has since been isolated to prevent any further oil leakage, however another oil spill was detected on Wednesday at Longbeach resulting in a clean-up campaign spearheaded by the Directorate of Maritime Affairs.
The second oil spill was traced and it was determined to be heavy fuel that escaped from the same tanker vessel currently in port
A clean-up campaign was immediately launched after the detection on Wednesday, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Works and Transport.
It was done in line with the national marine pollution contingency plan of 2017. According to the statement, the owner of the vessel engaged a local company to clean up the affected area under the supervision of government representatives.