E LG I N B R OW N & HAMER
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ELGIN BROWN & HAMER
EBH Celebrates
140 Years
on SA’s Waters PRODUCTION: David Napier
A company which dates back to the 1800s, Elgin Brown and Hamer has long been known in South Africa’s ocean economy as an industry-leader. The company has become a complete, one stop shop for all ship repair needs. What started out as an individual boat repair operation is now a continental leader with international reach. www.enterprise-africa.net / 3
INDUSTRY FOCUS: MARINE
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In 2013, former President Zuma visited Malaysia and was inspired by progress that had been made in the country in terms of reducing crime, poverty and unemployment. He learned that Malaysia had been following a big fast results methodology, resulting in major transformation in short periods of time. The President returned to South Africa and quickly went about installing a similar system to impact specifically the South African oceans economy and the healthcare industry. ‘Operation Phakisa’ was the title given to the project and the government claimed the country’s oceans have the potential to contribute up to R177 billion to GDP and create just over one million jobs by 2033. The programme focusses on six key areas: Marine Transport and
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Manufacturing work stream; Offshore Oil and Gas Exploration work stream; Aquaculture work stream, Marine Protection Services and Ocean Governance work stream, Small
Harbours work stream, and Coastal and Marine Tourism work stream. To date, progress has been made with large investments flowing through port facilities.
ELGIN BROWN & HAMER
// THE FULL SCOPE OF WORK FOR THIS MAJOR REFIT WAS UNDERTAKEN BY EBH DURBAN AND COMPLETED WITHIN THREE MONTHS AS REQUIRED BY THE CLIENT // One company set to benefit from the country’s focus on its oceans is Elgin Brown & Hamer – one of South Africa’s oldest ship repair businesses. This Durban-based business has been welcoming vessels from around the world, delivering a range of services at its facilities in Durban, Cape Town and East London. Whether it’s service, repair, conversion or complete construction, EBH’s skilled and experienced craftsmen have the knowledge to deliver for the most demanding of clients. HISTORICALLY S.AFRICAN Founded in 1878, EBH has been working on the oceans surrounding South Africa for the past 140 years. It originated as James Brown Ship Repair before being purchased by Murray and Roberts. At the same time, Murry and Roberts acquired Hamer Ship Repair and Elgin Engineering and the three eventually became one – Elgin Brown and Hamer, the company’s focussed marine division. Later, Elgin Engineering and EBH were bought out of Murray and Roberts as separate companies before, in 2013, DCD entered the fray. Becoming part of the DCD Marine group of companies, EBH gained greater access to international markets and finance. Today, the company is one of the only ship repair companies in subSaharan Africa to own and operate floating docks and floating cranes. It is ISO 9001:2008 accredited and OHSAS 18001:2007, and holds a Level 2 BBBEE certification. Over the years, EBH has displayed its excellence, performing activities including mechanical repairs, steel repairs, piping repairs, blasting and
painting, under water servicing, and hydraulic servicing among others. Major international clients have included Boskalis, Subsea-7, Maersk, Seacor, and Bourbon Offshore, and EBH works closely with local customers including Transnet National Ports Authority and Richards Bay. OIL & GAS BOOM & BUST Back in 2013, EBH was preparing for a boom in the market, specifically with oil and gas traffic. Prices were high, the industry was enjoying a fruitful period, and no one was expecting
a downturn. But oil prices tanked, the global economic climate started to become challenging, and the local economy had lost momentum following its peak after the 2012 FIFA World Cup. After the oil price crash, and without a meaningful recovery, work in the sector has dipped. However, work on container ships and bulk tankers has improved. There is a hope that the situation in the oil and gas industry will improve in the coming 24 – 36 months but some forecasters are predicting that the price could drop again, from an average of $72 per barrel in 2018 to $69 in 2019. But, southern Africa has its own shining star when it comes to offshore production – the Mozambique Rovuma basin, said to hold five trillion cubic feet (tcf ) of gas in the first phase alone.
Heat Exchange Specialists We are Level 2 BBBEE
Elgin Cooling Systems (Pty) Ltd Elgin Cooling Systems (Pty) Ltd specialises in the manufacture, reconditioning and servicing of heat exchangers. Work is carried out at two branches located conveniently at Spartan, Gauteng and Jacobs, Durban. With well over 30 years of dedicated service to the Heat Transfer Industry ECS prides itself on its fast lead times but does so without compromising quality
Durban - 031 461 1441/1463/146 Johannesburg - 011 397 5151 WWW.ELGINCOOLING.CO.ZA Gary@elgincooling.co.za / Rodney@elgincooling.co.za
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INDUSTRY FOCUS: MARINE
Sea traffic involved in this operation is going to be big, and will likely increase as time passes. The recognised ship repair organisations in South Africa are more than capable of servicing all types of vessel involved in this important industry sector. EBH has proven its credentials on many projects in the past. PROJECT PROOF Experts in the entire scope of ship repair – a complete one stop shop – EBH’s skills know no bounds. In 2008, the company was trusted by Royal Boskalis to complete a full overhaul on its URSA vessel. “Propulsion plant, generators, winches and dredge pumps were completely overhauled as well as a complete refit of the entire dredge chain,” the company explains.
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“The dredge ladder of 850 tonnes was stripped of its twin 400 kW motors, gear box and cutter drive shaft and cutter head before docking on the 140m EBH floating dock – ELDOCK – for underwater repairs. “The refit procedure required the 650-tonne steel ladder structure to be removed from the bow of the vessel for repairs. This had never been attempted before since the vessel was constructed. “The full scope of work for this major refit was undertaken by EBH Durban and completed within three months as required by the client.” Next into EBH’s yard was the container cargo ship, Border. The vessel required 150 tons of steel to complete repairs. The company displayed its steel skill in a much-hyped repair job to
the Nino tanker vessel after it ran aground off South Africa’s Wild Coast, containing hundreds of gallons of fuel. EBH tugs brought the vessel into the yard before experts completely rebuilt the underside of the ship, updating the rudder and propellers, in just three months. In 2009, quality shone through at EBH when the company welcomed the large tanker vessel, Berg. Its pipework had failed during a delivery journey and EBH had been contacted to carry out replacement works. “Upon inspection, it was discovered that the fully welded pipe systems were in some cases not welded to specification,” says EBH. “Material analysis of the failed pipe sections further revealed that the stainless-steel pipe was manufactured from re-melt SS scrap and had iron
ELGIN BROWN & HAMER
// EBH UNDERTOOK THE REPLACEMENT OF ALL DECK, ENGINE ROOM, PUMP ROOM AND TANK SPACE PIPE WORK WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF SEVERAL PETRO-CHEMICAL QUALIFIED PIPING CONTRACTORS // content that was out of specification. “EBH undertook the replacement of all deck, engine room, pump room and tank space pipe work with the assistance of several petro-chemical qualified piping contractors, to the satisfaction of the Bureau Veritas Surveyors and owners.” A flagship project for EBH saw the company completely overhaul the Acergy Eagle, a converted Subsea-7 cable restoring vessel. The major fiveyear project had tight timescales and had to be ready to head back to Angola to complete tie in operations. The vessel had been previously converted into a pipe carrier with moon pool,
heavy lift crane and specialised deep diving bell, spudding and anchor tendon placement. “It was decided to undertake repairs to the main engines, propulsion and thrusters as well as embarkation of the new sonar equipment, pipe spools and piping for continued link up work in Angola,” details EBH. “The vessel was completely repainted, and new sacrificial anodes fitted throughout. After undocking and main engine trials, the helideck and other loadbearing structures were load tested afloat and certified by the surveyors.” These are just a handful of examples of EBH work. Throughout its
history, EBH has become an integral part of the South African ocean economy and, in the future, it will undoubtedly help drive the industry forward. If Operation Phakisa can deliver what it has promised, EBH and the South African ship repair industry will grow in prominence and become one of the key cogs in the country’s economic machine.
WWW.EBH.CO.ZA
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ENTERPRISE AFRICA
AUG UST 2018