The Eihatsu Maru has been successfully towed off Clifton’s First Beach by maritime authorities today. The Smit Amandla tug worked tirelessly for hours to free the stricken vessel that ran aground last Saturday morning in thick fog.

It brings to a close an agonising six days of salvage attempts by officials, who twice previously failed to remove the stricken vessel.

The operation got underway at 13h00, and hearts sank when the vessel listed to port side at about 14h20. Authorities said this complicated matters, but the large tug didn’t give up.

Gradually, the slow process freed the vessel.

Many questions remain unanswered, but authorities involved will now carry out a full and thorough investigation into what went wrong. Authorities are also going to investigate whether the tuna that the trawler is carrying, was illegally caught in South African waters or not.

The vessel will now be towed to the Table Bay Harbour.

[Main Image: TaraHossack]

[Gallery Images: shipspotterCT, TaraHossack]