Mystery pipe to be removed

The massive slug-like pipe that appeared on Umdloti’s South Beach last week has kept residents guessing about where it came from and what it is.

Subtech operations manager, Gert Muller shed some light on the mystery pipe and said it is in fact a single buoy mooring (SBM) floating hose used to pump fuel products ashore.

“These hoses are usually used to connect to a vessel while moored to the SBM bouy offshore Isipingo. They are very robust, but they have a lifespan and are regularly replaced based on the maintenance program,” said Muller.

He said the retired hoses are used by various companies in the harbour, primarily for different fendering jobs.

“This one would probably have been used for fending in the Durban harbour and was possibly dislodged during the rough seas last week.”

Who the hose belongs to remains a mystery, as no one has claimed it.

Muller said Subtech have been granted permission to remove the roughly three-ton-heavy hose from the beach.

“We recently bought a brand new 4×4 crane truck for rapid response salvage situations where vessels run aground. This is a fantastic training opportunity for our truck drivers to gain experience in the use of the truck by removing such a large object.”

The removal of the hose is planned for either this week or early next week, depending on the tides and weather.