It has been a rough week on the maritime front as the press has covered the sinking of the Kiani Satu and the breaking up of the MV Smart in much detail.

After many, many man hours and much individual and agency co-operation, the Kiani Satu was refloated only to ultimately sink after being pulled out to sea by the Smit Amandla.

Fortunately it would seem that pollution was kept to a minimum as most of the oil that surfaced after the sinking was carried away from the coast.

Credit must be given to the 350 individuals from 20 different agencies who worked extremely hard under difficult circumstances to try to save the stricken vessel.

The coal ship MV Smart which ran aground off Richard’s Bay and then broke in two is still a concern on the pollution front; and scientists are currently evaluating the situation.

Also mentioned in the press this week is the rush of teams of scientists and geologists to survey the ocean floor off South Africa’s coast in an attempt to gather information regarding the possibilities for oil and gas exploration.

Some 20 companies are involved in the exploration, including some of the major players, such as: Shell, Anadarko, ExxonMobil and Total.

Let us hope that this exploration and what is to follow is done in a responsible manner and that South Africa gets to to be part of the process as well as the rewards.