Cape Town: A joint operation was conducted by the City of Cape Town with the National Sea Rescue Institute Hout Bay Station, in which they removed and disposed of a 35 ton Whale Carcass from Hout Bay.
Reportedly, a massive carcass was initially observed floating in the bay and was safely transported to Vissershok Landfill on Sunday, Nov 17, 2024.
The operation began early on Saturday morning, when the whale carcass was first spotted, floating off Kommetjie drifting towards the coast. Potential risks were noted due to its size and a swift and coordinated response made.
Coastal Management Department of the City of Cape Town was immediately turned active to oversee the retrieval operation. A decision was made after the assessment to tow the carcass to the Hout Bay slipway using a specialised vessel, which was provided by the NSRI Hout Bay Station.
The NSRI team worked alongside the Coastal Management officers of City of Cape Town to ensure the safe towing of the carcass.
As per the sources, the Urban Waste Management of the City of Cape Town’s Specialised Equipment Services (SES) team took over to execute the challenging task. SES team loaded the carcass for transport to landfill along with the Traffic Services and the Corporate Fleet Management team.
It was a very complex challenge to stabilise the carcass on the flatbed truck which was already in an advanced state of decomposition. It required all the ingenuity and expertise of the teams, especially as the route to landfill that included a steep and bendy section over Constantia Nek.
The Disposal team then followed the protocol for trenching and it was safely disposed by the staff on site, after reaching the landfill. A trench was dug in anticipation of the whale’s arrival but was widened and lengthened significantly due to the size of the animal.
The massive creature was of 14.3m. It was too big to be weighed on the landfill weighbridge but is estimated to weigh-in at around 35 tons.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Urban Waste Management – Alderman Grant Twigg said that this was a complex and challenging operation. He praised the excellent coordination between the City and the NSRI.
He stated that they ensured the safe removal of the whale carcass with minimal disruption to the local community and environment.
Twigg added further that they would like to acknowledge the NSRI Hout Bay Station for their professionalism and dedication in assisting with this operation. The officials thanked the others supporting the City departments such as Law Enforcement, By-Law Enforcement and Traffic Services for their help on the day.
They also extended their gratitude to the public and visitors or tourists for their patience during the operation and while the carcass was being transported via a flat-bed truck to landfill.