PICS: Oil pellets wash up on Mossel Bay beaches, forcing closures

A number of beaches in the Mossel Bay area have closed after oil pellets were reportedly washed up, sticking to beachgoers’ feet.

The substance was reported as far as Bitou and Gouritsmond in the Garden Route, Western Cape region, and was confirmed by Garden Route municipality disaster head Gerhard Otto to be heavy furnace oil.

ALSO READ: Authorities on high alert after oil spill in Algoa Bay

No blue flags

The pellets may be tiny, but their presence has resulted in no blue flags being raised ahead of the festive season until clean up efforts are completed, Mossel Bay Advertiser reports.

The slippery saga began on Monday, with beachgoers first reporting oily pellets between Hartenbos and Bayview beaches.

More reports were received of the substance on Santos beach, and the Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team reported an oil spill in Kanon.

ALSO READ: Nightmare Atlantic oil spill ‘could happen again’

The following beaches are currently closed:

• Hartenbos
• Diaz
• Santos
• Kanon
• Danabaai
• Klein Brak

Otto said the beaches would only be closed temporarily, and that the droplets were not dangerous.

“The closure of beaches was done mainly to do the cleanup on those beaches.”

The source of the “pollution” remains undetermined, however, Otto said an aerial survey would be done, and that more stakeholder meetings were underway.

Despite Otto assuring the substance was not dangerous, the public is urged to refrain from walking or swimming on the beaches listed above until they are declared safe.

Compiled and edited by Nica Richards.

Parts of this article first appeared on Caxton publication Mossel Bay Advertiser’s website. Read the original article here.