The Durban University of Technology’s flag is flying high after Captain Ian Carrasco of SMIT Amandla was in charge of the highly publicized Phoenix salvage operation at Salt Rock a couple of weeks back. Captain Carrasco has 38 years of experience under his belt and completed all his studies at DUT…

The Durban University of Technology’s flag is flying high after Captain Ian Carrasco of SMIT Amandla was in charge of the highly publicized Phoenix salvage operation at Salt Rock a couple of weeks back. Captain Carrasco has 38 years of experience under his belt and completed all his studies at DUT.

During his special lecture to senior law students at the Department of Maritime Studies, he said his field is an interesting career choice with a lot of challenges, and a great chance for growth. Captain Ian Carrasco is a Tug Master and he encouraged students to strive for promotions in the industry by maintaining standards of excellence.

He educated students on what “salvage” means and what they should expect when they go to sea as professionals in this field. Captain Carrasco left no illusions concerning the reality of salvage. Some operations fail and he illustrated this by citing a number of examples of ships that have sunk because of structural failure and collision, amongst other factors.

“One of the things you must learn now is when the ship is in peril, get people to safety first and get the oil off,” said Captain Carrasco.

Regarding the Phoenix, which was en route from Nigeria to an Indian scrap yard, he said the ship was in an unfit condition to sail, adding that its condition was sub-standard. Captain Carrasco said he was happy with the successful outcome of the operation which took place under harsh and challenging conditions.

-By Nqobizizwe Zwane