Kategorie: News
Impending environmental disaster in El Quadim Bay, El Quseir
The VSG Glory finally sank in the late afternoon of 2 December. The stern had been sinking for two days and towing was no longer possible. According to official statements, most of the diesel and fuel had been siphoned off, but why was the stern sinking? From the outside, it looked as if the ship had not been lightened and was therefore sinking further and further. The coming weeks and months will show how the situation on the reef develops.
Further oil booms were laid on Sunday, but these came loose on Monday night. On Monday, an attempt was made to reposition these oil booms to keep the leaking oil under control. During this work, the stern of the VSG Glory sank by approx. 2 - 3 metres and at around 16:00 the ship sank directly within sight of the Mövenpick Resort El Quseir and the Radisson Blu Resort, El Quseir. Just over an hour later, at 17:18, the last of the superstructure had disappeared.
Eyewitnesses reported a strong smell of diesel. It is not yet clear what ecological impact the sinking of the VSG Glory will have on El Quadim Bay. We hope that the information provided by the authorities - that most of the fuel has been extracted - is correct. Eyewitnesses at the scene report that they did not see any measures taken to pump out the oil and other fluids.
A review of the official report from Sunday, 1 December:
"The authorities are continuing their intensive efforts to find a solution to the problem of the VSG Glory, which has run aground. In recent days, two large ships have arrived at the scene of the accident to pump out water and fuel from the ship's tanks. So far, around 250 tonnes of contaminated water and fuel have been extracted and transferred to a special ship. Now that the ship's inclination has increased, more pumps are being procured. Divers have also attempted to carry out repairs and welding work on the ship's hull.
Authorities are working around the clock and a special committee has been formed to assess the damage and conduct a comprehensive survey of the area to assess the density and condition of the coral reefs.
At the beginning of the incident, Environment Minister Dr Yasmine Fouad carried out an inspection to closely monitor the situation. From the outset, extensive rubber barriers were erected to contain the spill and prevent it from spreading. Specialised equipment is being used to remove the pollutants from the water surface, protect the nearby coasts and ensure the safety of the sea.
We hope that these efforts will be successful, maintaining the ecological balance of the area and protecting the vital marine life that is an essential part of the Red Sea ecosystem.’
The shipwreck - review 22 November 2024
Quotes from WK Webster
* ‘We have received reports that the general cargo ship VSG GLORY (IMO: 9103025) lost control due to strong winds and high waves caused by a technical malfunction. As a result, the ship ran aground on coral reefs off Quseir, Egypt, on 22 November 2024.’
* ‘The ship is said to have suffered a 60-centimetre crack in the hull, which allowed seawater to enter the engine room, causing the ship to tilt and leak fuel into the sea.’
Four weeks adrift in the Red Sea
The 100-meter-long coastal cargo ship VSG Glory was on a slow passage from the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah in Yemen to Port Tawfiq in Egypt and had an additional 70 tons of heating oil and 50 tons of diesel in its tanks, in addition to a cargo of 4,000 tons of bran. AIS data shows that it had been drifting in the Red Sea for more than a month, rarely making more than three knots and often retracing its course. On closer inspection, the “route” appears to be an uncoordinated odyssey with no destination.
On Friday, November 22, after another extremely slow journey, the freighter drifted directly off the coast to the west and ran aground on a reef north of El Quseir: in heavy seas and strong winds, the cargo ship suffered a technical malfunction off El Quseir, resulting in a collision with the coral reef of El Quseir Bay.
According to HEPCA, an Egyptian environmental organisation, the engine room was flooded after the hull was damaged. As a result, the ship tilted dangerously and leaked fuel. Authorities confirmed that all 21 crew members from India, Egypt, Iraq and Syria were safely evacuated without injury.
The VSG Glory is a 100 metre long and almost 19 metre wide freighter built in 1994 and sailing under the Comorian flag. According to official reports, the VSG Glory was en route from Yemen to Suez. The cause of the accident was apparently strong winds, high waves and a technical defect. Several defects have already been identified on the VSG Glory in the past. The problems include oil accumulations in the engine room, a poorly maintained fire extinguishing system and inconsistencies in the paperwork.
When the cargo ship ran aground on a reef, it suffered a 60 cm crack in the hull, which flooded the engine room and caused it to lean dangerously.
It took almost two days for oil booms to be deployed and take effect. The barriers bought enough time for the time being until the appropriate infrastructure for pumping out the oil and other measures had arrived on site.
So much for the situation of the VSG Glory shipwreck in El Quadim Bay of El Quseir on the first two days.
Current situation and outlook
A look... from El Quseir northwards into the Strait of Gubal, particularly in the region around Sha'ab Abu Nuhas, shows well-known wrecks such as the Greek cargo ship Chrisoula K., which sank in 1981, and the bulk carrier Ghiannis D., which sank in 1983. Both ships are of a similar size to the VSG Glory. These wrecks are just two examples of the many cargo ships that have sunk in the Red Sea. Over the decades, they slowly break apart and disintegrate.
The VSG Glory now appears to be suffering a similar fate. Although it is technically possible to salvage even ships of this size, the necessary measures would be extremely costly. There is currently no indication that the necessary financial resources will be made available from any source. The wreck has now slipped into deeper areas of the reef. The depth at which it is currently located has not yet been communicated. However, this circumstance is now relieving the reef area near the surface so that corals and other animals can slowly colonise it again.
It is reported that some of the fuel from the VSG Glory could apparently still be pumped out, which is at least positive news. Since the 1970s, there have been several cases of oil pollution in the northern Red Sea, which have caused considerable damage to both the coasts and the coral reefs. The increasing intensification of shipping traffic through the Suez Canal has further increased the frequency of such incidents in recent decades. Fortunately, Egypt has so far been spared the major oil spills that have occurred in the Mediterranean. Satellite images show that operational oil spills - usually between 1 and 10 tonnes of oil released by ships during routine operations in the sea - occur almost daily in the Mediterranean. With 1,500 to 2,500 incidents per year, they represent a significant environmental problem. It stands to reason that similar figures could also apply to the Red Sea.
Of course, we all wish that this accident had not happened in the first place. Nevertheless, the situation could have been even more serious, for example if the ship had wrecked directly in the bay. Whether and how the nearby wreck will affect the biodiversity within El Quadim Bay cannot be predicted at present. This depends largely on the current conditions and how quickly harmful substances can be broken down by microorganisms. All scenarios are conceivable: from a deterioration to an unchanged diversity of animals that make this colourful underwater world so unique.
"A look" by Prof Dr Ralph Schill
Pictures Wreck Andreas Ueltzhöffer
Video by Dieter Brauer
More information: Hope for the ecosystem
Video from on board the VSG Glory (25.11.24) on X: x.com/Theseainarabic/status/1861109915625934969