Penguins rescued from St Croix after Algoa Bay oil spill | News24

Penguins at Boulders Beach in Cape Town. (Steve Kretzmann/GroundUp).

• An oil spill in Algoa Bay has impacted endangered birds at St Croix Island.
• At least six oiled African penguins have been reported.
• The birds have been rescued and are receiving treatment.

At least six endangered African penguins have been affected by an oil spill that was detected in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape over the weekend, which is threatening a St Croix penguin colony.

On Tuesday, rangers visited the island and found three heavily oiled penguins. Another three were lightly oiled, according to SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) spokesperson Tebogo Ramatjie.

“The penguins were captured and transported to the local Sanccob (Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds) facility for treatment. However, two additional oiled penguins evaded capture. Efforts are ongoing to locate and capture them,” Ramatjie said.

“Further wildlife surveillance in the area is being coordinated with Sanccob. The public is urged to report any sightings of oiled birds to Sanccob, and any oiled mammals should be reported to Bayworld officials.”

St Croix was once home to the world’s largest African penguin colony, but the population has steeply declined over the past few years.

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News24 previously reported that the Samsa Incident Management Organisation launched an investigation into “an oily substance spillage” that was believed to have come from a container cargo vessel that anchored in Algoa Bay on Saturday afternoon.

A preliminary investigation by the response craft found an oily substance on the water, which Ramatjie said appeared to be coming from the container ship MSC Apollo.

The MSC Apollo is scheduled to dock at the Port of Ngqura as soon as a berth is available, and a thorough inspection will be conducted to identify the source of the oil, Ramatjie said.

“Surveillance and monitoring of the affected areas will continue, weather permitting, to mitigate any environmental impact,” he said.

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News24 previously reported that after a population decrease of more than 90% over eight years, the endangered African penguin species on St Croix Island had bounced back, with breeding pairs almost doubling over the past year.

The latest census found that breeding pairs on St Croix Island had increased to 1 200 from 700 the previous year. The increase has been attributed to the prohibition of ship-to-ship bunkering around the island since September 2023.