The Singapore registered Ikan Tanda 17 800 DWT, general dry cargo bulk carrier ran aground on the 5th of September 2001 during one of the worst storms to hit the Cape in 50 years. She was about 40km from Cape Town when she suffered engine failure due to a small fire in the engine room and drifted for 3 hours. The crew dropped two anchors, but battered by 50 knot gale force winds and 10 meter high swells, she continued to drift and finally ran aground on a sandbank 300 meters off the beach. She was carrying a cargo of 15,500 tonnes of Potassium Nitrate , Potassium Sulphate, Potassium Chloride and Boronat in five holds from Chile to Singapore with a scheduled crew change in Cape Town.
With the storm still raging, South African Air Force (SAAF) Oryx helicopters were sent to lift the ship's 23-man crew to safety. 18 crew members were lifted off, while the Captain, Chief Mate and three other crew members decided to stay on board to help the salvage effort.
The salvage tug 'John Ross' arrived after a five hour journey through 7 - 8 meter swells, but couldn't hook up a tow-line because of the rough seas. In the days following the salvors Smit Pentow Marine removed 230 tonnes of oil on the vessel. Procedures to prepare the ship for towing off continued, and salvors still believed the ship could be pulled off the rocks by the deep sea salvage tug 'John Ross', which maneuvered to within half a nautical mile of the 'Ikan Tanda' in a test to see how close she could get. The ship's bows were also being prepared to take the strain of towing.
In preparation for the refloating phase of the operation, the 94.6m, 19,200HP salvage tug 'Wolraad Woltemade' and the Anchor Handler 'Pentow Skua' were mobilized to Schuster Bay, just off Scarborough. The first attempt at refloating took place during the afternoon high tide of Tuesday 16th October - the 'Ikan Tanda' finally being successfully refloated on the 03h30 high tide on Wednesday 17th October. The successful conclusion to the refloating phase of the operation marked six long weeks of hard work which was celebrated by a party held by Smit Pentow Marine for the residents of Scarborough and Misty Cliffs.
In the period following the refloating, the convoy of tug and tow headed out to sea where a full assessment of the vessel was completed and her list corrected to 3 degrees (from 25 degrees). After a week under tow, during which time unsuccessful attempts were made by the Owners to bring her into a South African port for full assessment and possible repair, 'Ikan Tanda' was scuttled and sank at 20h30 on Saturday 27th October 2001 approximately 200 miles west of Cape Town - the crew aboard 'Wolraad Woltemade' bearing witness to what they described as a very moving event. The next morning, a floating hatch cover at the scene bore testament to 'Ikan Tanda's' demise, finally being sunk and joining the rest of the ship on the ocean floor.