MT Phoenix was a tanker which went aground in heavy seas at Sheffield Beach just north of Ballito near Durban, South Africa on the morning of 26 July 2011.

[5] The vessel, under the flag of Equatorial Guinea and with an Indian crew, was under way to Alang, India, to be scrapped, when it suffered engine failure and almost drifted ashore near the Eastern Cape town of Hamburg.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) contacted the owners who initially undertook to charter a tug to replace the Smit Amandla and complete the voyage to India.

The court order was granted on 22 July, but its complete execution was delayed by further red tape when South Africa's chief harbour master, Rufus Lekala, refused to allow the tanker to berth in Durban.

The salvage tug Smit Amandla, which was still in the area, attempted to reconnect the tow, but the effort was abandoned because of high seas, with waves of 4–6 metres and winds gusting to 30 knots.