The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, has signed the Regulations for the Environmental Management of Offshore Ship-to-Ship Transfer, under the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008 (Act No. 24 of 2008). The regulations will come into force once published in the Government Gazette.
The measures prohibit offshore ship-to-ship (STS) operations within marine protected areas, aquaculture development zones, within five nautical miles of each of these zones and within three nautical miles of the high-water mark.
Operators must monitor for penguins and marine mammals, deploy hydrophone systems, report sightings and incidents, and have immediate response plans for oiled or injured wildlife. In Algoa Bay, STS operations may only take place in conditions with wind speeds below 22 knots and wave heights below two metres. The Minister may set similar conditions in other areas.
Operators are required to use drip trays, leak detection systems, inflatable booms, and keep a spill-response vessel on standby within five nautical miles of shore. All crew members must undergo environmental awareness training, and each operator must submit an independent Environmental Management Plan, approved by the Minister, that addresses site-specific risks.
In Algoa Bay, operations are confined to designated anchorages with limits on the number of operators and tankers, including seasonal restrictions in anchorage area 2 to protect sensitive habitats.
Non-compliance is subject to fines of up to R2 million, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.