An accident waiting to happen

The 6,000 tonne Russian cargo ship that remains wedged on sand and gravel on the coast of Devon is the second vessel to ground itself in the area, since the start of 2002. Surfers Against Sewage have strong concerns that it is only a matter of time before we see such an event cause irreversible damage to our coastal waters.

Although the vessel does not carry a hazardous cargo, there are reported to be 450 tonnes of fuel oil on board and all hopes are pinned on the ability of the double skinned fuel tanks to withstand a battering from the stormy seas.

A tug is now on its way to the stricken "Kodima" which ran aground on a 5.4m spring tide after being driven ashore in storms on Saturday. Salvage experts now have the task of deciding how they are going to get the fuel out of the vessel before they tow it to safety. To minimise the risk of a further accident the team will have to wait for a weather window in order to do this, luckily one is expected this afternoon.

Initial indications reveal that about half a tonne of oil was discharged from the engine room when it was flooded and this has produced a slight oil slick. At the present time however, environmental damage has been kept to a minimum, but the pressure is on to get the fuel oil off the boat and to get the Kodima re-floated before any damage is done to the tanks where the bulk of the fuel oil is stored.

SAS's Campaign Manager Vicky Garner said today:

" This is the second event of this nature to happen in the region since the start of 2002 and who's to say we aren't going to have another? What if the vessel hadn't been carrying wood but had a cargo of hazardous waste or chemicals? We wouldn't be hearing about people heading to the coast to salvage what they could find on the beaches, we'd be hearing reports of ambulances heading to the beaches to pick up people and of irreversible damage being done to the marine environment".

"We know that there are codes of practise and regulations in place to stop this kind of thing from happening, so what is going wrong? Are the regulations impractical or ineffective? Are we dealing with incompetent boat crews? Or is it simply a case of the forces of nature taking the control out of our hands? If it's the latter then maybe it's in the interests of the ocean and the people who use it for us to think about what ships are and aren't allowed to transport."

For more information call Vicky Garner, 01872 553001