South Africa is going to foot the bill for salvaging the Japanese fishing vessel currently stranded on Clifton First beach, according to the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa). The owner of the ship, which ran aground on Saturday and has since moved 25m closer to the shore, has to date refused to cover the costs of the salvage.

The reason for this strong move is to avoid a repeat of the Seli 1 ship controversy. Samsa has spent an estimated R40 million on failed rescue operations since 2009, when the Seli 1 was stranded at Blouberg beach in September 2009. Seli 1’s owner abandoned ship and insurers washed their hands of the entire affair.

As far as the stranded Clifton vessel goes,  SA hopes to claim back expenses for the ship’s removal from the owner – but it remains to be seen if the boat is even insured.

If the same maritime legislation applies to this situation as in the Seli 1 case, there is nothing to compel any party to compel the wreckage, which may leave South Africa with the dirty work and a sizeable bill at the end of the day.

[Source: News24]