DISMANTLING of the Kolmanskop shipwreck at Vierkantklip, just south of Swakopmund, is nearing completion and soon the wreck will only be visible during low tide.
The Kolmanskop ran ashore in 2006 after it broke from its moorings in Walvis Bay during strong winds. She drifted to her current site and became wedged between rocks about 200m from the shore. It was not possible to re-float her, because the hull was damaged, and the area too shallow and rocky.The owner of the vessel, Glomar Fisheries of Walvis Bay, was instructed by the Department of Maritime Affairs (DMA) to remove the wreck for safety and legal reasons. There was a threat that people would visit the wreck, since she lay close to a socially active shore. Walvis Bay Diving was contracted to do the dismantling work and cut down the vessel to a metre below high tide, leaving the lower hull and engine blocks, which will be visible at low tides. The work started last year and is now nearing completion.
