Update

KNYSNA NEWS - Expert divers and salvors from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth are working around the clock to raise Knysna's Paddle Cruiser after it was discovered partially capsized at its moorings on the banks of the Knysna Estuary during the early hours of 12 April.

Although the vessel was still listing at the time of going to print, the port hull had settled on the estuary floor and was unlikely to tilt any deeper into the water.

The Featherbed Co, which owns and manages the vessel, confirmed that expert divers and salvors from these bigger city centres were assisting in the refloating efforts.

Independent assessors and marine engineers are also in the process of investigating the cause of the accident.

A resident of Laguna Grove on the Knysna Waterfront was woken by a loud noise early on the morning of the incident. As she rushed to the balcony overlooking the lagoon, she heard crockery and furniture crashing on the Paddle Cruiser as the vessel keeled over onto its side.

''It was quite a racket," she said.

Following reports of the vessel's precarious situation, several organisations responded to assist, which included volunteers from the Knysna NSRI station, members from SA National Parks and Knysna Municipality.

The company's management has requested patience while assessors and engineers investigate the cause of the accident. "At this stage, and since no one was on board to witness the event, no one has enough information to hazard any guesses as to how the accident happened," the company's management said in a statement.

Although pollution control barriers were deployed around the vessel as a first response, no diesel has leaked from the hulls.

Read a previous article: Work under way to raise Paddle Cruiser

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