August 8, 2011. The Phoenix story continues to capture the media’s attention long after it was smashed against the rocks at Sheffield Beach on July 25.
See our picture gallery of The Phoenix at Sheffield Beach below
Carte Blanche is the latest national media player to latch on to the story of The Phoenix, and they flighted the first images (as far as we know) seen thus far of fuel leaking from a crack in the ship. They also reported how many tons of fuel and fuel barrels were successfully removed from the stricken vessel.
While the South African Maritime Safety Authority remains satisfied that the events surrounding the ship ending up beached at Sheffield Beach were above board, speculation remains rife that this incident was an insurance scam.
The Sunday Tribune newspaper published a lead article yesterday questioning the identity of the vessel, and whether the whole incident was not an elaborate scam.
Spring tide
It’s believed that authorities may have to wait weeks for the next spring tide before successfully floating The Phoenix. Once she’s afloat the plan is to sell the vessel and try recoup some of the costs of dealing with the salvage job.
In the latest news, on Women’s Day, Tuesday, August 9, hundreds of people flocked to Sheffield Beach, where traffic police officers remained on duty to handle the influx of people keen to get a view of the stricken tanker. Salvage and environmental crews continued to work at the scene, while the ship, clearly, will remain rooted to the rocks for some time to come.- Ridge Correspondent