Teams from the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and the eThekwini Municipality are working around the clock to contain an oil spill from the African Sun oil factory in Durban. The factory was gutted by fire last week.
It is estimated that at least 150 000 litres of oil have spilled in to the canal, and have reached entrance into the Durban habour.
As part of the measures to contain the incident, the factory owners have employed a commercial clean-up company, which is attending to the incident. In addition, the canal has been boomed off.
The DEA has dispatched technical and compliance officials to inspect the incident to ensure that salvage operations are consistent with the prescripts of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act (ICM) and the National Oil Spill Contingency Plan. The officials will provide guidance on the actions that have to be taken to prevent the situation from getting out of hand, and to ensure that the integrity of the ocean environment and marine species are not compromised.
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Zolile Nqayi
Cell: 082 898 6483
