Here is the report from the Argus....Logs lost cause concern /12 August 2008, 08:35/ By Michelle Jones Maritime authorities plan to retrieve about 300 logs from the sea near Robben Island, posing a danger to vessels. A log carrier, Lola, was passing Robben Island when the 10m logs were lost overboard on Sunday. "About 200 to 300 logs are spread over an area of about 100 square miles. There is nothing available in Cape Town that could recover the logs," SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) head Saleem Modak said. A salvage ship would be sent from Port Elizabeth or Durban when one became available. A diving team on a rubber duck would then attach a towing mechanism to the logs. They would then be towed to shore. The Smit Amandla tug on contract with Samsa was dispatched on Sunday from St Helena Bay. It would determine by radar the extent of the drift of the logs to ensure that the navigational warning out to all ships remained accurate. Smit Marine spokesperson Clare Gomes said the logs weighed between five and 12 tons each. "The vessel has come into the Port of Cape Town, but the logs pose a threat to passing shipping traffic and small craft such as fishing and recreational vessels," Gomes said. If a vessel were to hit a log it would be badly damaged, endangering the crew. Meanwhile, Weskus 1 and the Seawin Sapphire, which ran aground on August 31, will be lifted on to flat bed trailers and taken by road to the synchrolift in Cape Town. Gomes said the method had been deemed to be the most appropriate way to remove the vessels, with the least risk to marine environment. An environmental impact assessment will begin this week to ensure the operation has little impact and that where dunes were affected, rehabilitation takes place. michelle.jones@inl.co.za