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10 July 2026
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Jet fuel tanker overturns in Cape Town, emergency crew prevents disaster
A fuel tanker which overturned on the N1 in Cape Town on Monday night, 29 June 2026 and caused hours of traffic disruption could have been far worse, said the City of Cape Town's Fire and Rescue Service. The truck, carrying aviation fuel from the Koeberg Interchange, overturned on the FW de Klerk Boulevard outbound slip road towards the M5 South. City of Cape Town Fire and Rescue spokesperson Jermaine Carelse said crews worked through the night to ensure the tanker could be safely emptied.
"We were fortunate enough that the tank didn't rupture. That would have been a different situation for us."
More than 40 000 litres of jet fuel had to be transferred into another tanker before recovery teams could get the vehicle back right side up again. "They just decanted that Jet A1 fuel. That was over 40 000 litres. That took a couple of hours and that was safely done, obviously, in a safe environment. And then there were the two trucks, recovery vehicles pulling that vehicle back onto its wheels."
Carelse explained that emergency teams immediately created a safety zone around the tanker to reduce the risk of fire or explosion and fire engines remained on standby. "In the event there was a spark, the vapours would have been suppressed."
Once the fuel was removed, two heavy recovery vehicles lifted the tanker back onto its wheels. Cleaning teams also removed diesel from the road surface. "They use a type of material... like sawdust... that absorbs all the oil and contaminants," explained Carelse.
He also confirmed that the tanker driver escaped unharmed and no other injuries were reported.
The closure of the affected section of the road led to lengthy traffic delays, with many motorists forced to find alternative routes. The road was reopened as normal by Tuesday evening.
Source: EWN, WC Live Traffic & Safety Report
"We were fortunate enough that the tank didn't rupture. That would have been a different situation for us."
More than 40 000 litres of jet fuel had to be transferred into another tanker before recovery teams could get the vehicle back right side up again. "They just decanted that Jet A1 fuel. That was over 40 000 litres. That took a couple of hours and that was safely done, obviously, in a safe environment. And then there were the two trucks, recovery vehicles pulling that vehicle back onto its wheels."
Carelse explained that emergency teams immediately created a safety zone around the tanker to reduce the risk of fire or explosion and fire engines remained on standby. "In the event there was a spark, the vapours would have been suppressed."
Once the fuel was removed, two heavy recovery vehicles lifted the tanker back onto its wheels. Cleaning teams also removed diesel from the road surface. "They use a type of material... like sawdust... that absorbs all the oil and contaminants," explained Carelse.
He also confirmed that the tanker driver escaped unharmed and no other injuries were reported.
The closure of the affected section of the road led to lengthy traffic delays, with many motorists forced to find alternative routes. The road was reopened as normal by Tuesday evening.
Source: EWN, WC Live Traffic & Safety Report
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