Rusting wreckage will be new reef
The Jolly Rubino – an Italian-owned container vessel – caught
fire off of Richards Bay in September, 2002.
It subsequently ran aground near the St Lucia Lighthouse within the boundaries
of the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park initially causing grave concern to environmental
authorities, particularly since its cargo included a range of hazardous chemicals.
Given the potential for disaster however the environmental damage has according
to Jean Harris of KZNW, been minimal.
This was also due partly to prevailing winds at the time of the incident which
were blowing north. It was undoubtedly also due to the coordinated and speedy
response to the crisis potentuial by a number of authortities acting in concert.
There also seemed to be no obvious irritants around the site of trhe wreack
as curious whales had come to inspect it.
Given the debate about opening the mouth of the St Lucia estuary, in retrospect
the decision to throw up a protective berm to shield the mouth from water
borne possible pollutants was the correct one.
Benchmark
Gerry Garland, a coastal geomorphologist from the University of Natal, says
that the wreck could provide a `useful scientific benchmark to tst longshore
drift and how sand accumulates along the coast with the inshore current.
An indication of sea current extent was that some containers off the ill-fated
vessel washed up in Port Elizabeth.
Over the next few months however, the salvors – working in consultation
with environmental and maritime authorities and at the expense of the owners
– managed to remove all of the remaining hazardous cargo and the majority
of oil, thereby significantly reducing the threat posed by the vessel.
They also took a number of steps to remove other materials which could wash
up as debris along the coastline if and when the vessel breaks up.
In summation the incident highlighted the preparedness of many authorities
in Zululand and greater South Africa to work together as a team in a time
of potential environmental crisis.
Importantly it also underscored the developing pollution principle that `the
polluter pays the price’ for cleanups in the wake of such incidents,
establishing a pivotal principle for marine law cases
At the peak periods during the Easter weekend there were between 400-500
vehicles within the demarcated area (1, 2 kms) of the beach at Sodwana. The
reason for this congestion is the ban of 4X4 vehicles on the beaches of South
Africa by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism from early 2002.
Some boat-owners had to wait up to 45 minutes to get their trailers to their
boats. The congestion is particularly bad at high tide when the beach is only
about 40m wide.
Despite the congestion, people were jovial, well-mannered and accepting of
the regulations. Most people just wanted to get their vehicles onto the beach,
put up their umbrellas and enjoy the beautiful beach and crystal clear ocean.
However, the congestion is a problem from a management point of view and will
need to be resolved in the future.
There were 6000 people in the campsite. Unfortunately two drownings occurred.
Sodwana Bay has become South Africa’s premier dive and game fish venue
for thousands of tourists annually. The warm climate and is extremely attractive
to both South Africans and International guests alike and continues to be
a key tourist destination in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park.
