Over the weekend the aft section of the ship was towed out of Richards Bay and sunk some 28 miles offshore.
It followed a seven-week salvage operation in which the bunkers were removed, the ship was stripped of pollutants and 10,000 tons of coal were dumped overboard.
The fore section of the 151,000-dwt Greek ship (built 1996) remains in Richards Bay, and will present more of a challenge for the salvage team.
Reports say the ship’s holds are flooded and the coal has turned into a pulp and will need to be pumped out with submersible pumps.
“Hatch one, two and three were above the water when the ship split; now only one-and-a-half hatches are above water,” said a spokesman for the South African Maritime Safety Authority.
Tenders had been invited for this next phase of the salvage and the successful bidder is expected to be named within a few weeks.
“This section has presented a constantly changing scenario, and that means that the scope of work constantly changes, so we keep having to tweak the tender requirements,” he told local media.
The Moundreas-operated capesize was leaving Richard’s Bay on 19 August 2013 when it ran aground off the port’s entrance channel.
Twenty three crew members, including the master of the vessel, were earlier airlifted from the vessel by a rescue helicopter.
An initial investigation by the owner claims the Panamanian-flagged ship was hit by a huge swell that “slammed” its stern on to the sea bed.
Alpha Marine said there was no evidence to suggest a failure of vessel engines or the steering system until the grounding occurred.
“It is also confirmed that vessel was in sound structural condition upon her departure from the port,” it added.
