Click here to read our latest post about the barge Margaret
During the early morning hours of Wednesday 24 June 2009 a the barge named Margaret ground itself in Jacobsbay.
In the early hours a ship (the Salvilliant) was towing the barge when the tow rope broke at approximately 03h00. Apparently the barge consists of 15 stacked barges and it was on its way to Rotterdam (or Sliedrecht to be more accurate) from China. The barges were transported to be completed in Sliedrecht..
For those who do not know, a barge is like a big trailer which is towed behind a ship to carry a heavy load. It does not have its own engine.
This event caused a lot of curiosity among local residents. When i visit Jacobsbay today it looked as if there was some kind of event happening at WeskusPlek.
This is a tragedy. I hope they will be able to remove it quickly. Imagine having to look at this monster each time you visit the beautiful vilage of Jacobsbay.
Below are some pictures.
This what you see when you are on your way to Jacobsbay
Looks like an instant mall being placed behing WeskusPlek
The barge from the opposite side
Waves crushing the against the barge
Close to the beach
Curious Bystanders
Is there a party or what?
I know this thing looks very strange and it is hard to figure out what it is. A friend from Cape Town sent me this picture which his brother in Holland sent him. This shows a simular setup of one barge with a couple of completed barges on top.
Completed Barges
kansloos
Apparently engineers and whatever are all meeting at the moment to decide how and when they are going to remove the barge. Seems like it will not happen soon, maybe in 2 or 3 months time only.
I have been fortunate enough to visit Jacobsbaai with the barge landing and the west coast hospitality has been amazing. The accommodation and restuarant we have been using Weskusplek has been great until today. All of the staff are fabulous and have really gone out of their way to help us enjoy our stay, except for one of the owners managers – Frikkie. Several incidents where he has been difficult and rude come to mind but today was the last straw. Stuck without transport we were unable to get to the closest atm +- 10kms away and I asked if I could swipe my debit card for cash to buy smokes from the vending machine. Management policy prohibits this apparently. Really put a damper on my mood. Fortunately the rest of the Weskus locals don’t have the same attitude and we got sorted. It is a shame though, that he has that attitude, as I was raving about this place before.
Hi Nicky. I think old Frik is just stressed out with all the people. I visit the place often and normally he is quite a pleasant guy.
Pieter,
Do you know if the barge Margaret is still aground at Jacobs Bay as of Sept. 22, 2009?
We have been to Jacobsbaai today and not knowing anything about this barge, where very surprised to see this “thing” there where it obviously does not belong. It is absolutely huge. We asked at the Weskusplek about it and some said they believe it is going to be “blown up” We saw some contractors around there, but nobody to ask. Will they really do that? What impact will that have on the echo system?
The envoronment wont suffer at all, the charges is above sea level and will only disembark the cargo if all goes well. I would evacuate the public to a save distance for safety reasons. I have been performing implosions for over 15 years and this method is the safest way to resolve the problem if done correctly. should any of the barges sink it will create an artificial reef over time if it can not be salvaged.
Hendrik smit
Hendrik, do you have any news on the Barge. What will happen to the pieces they did not remove?
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