COMPANY PROFILE
2013
SHIPYARDS SA Shipshape In Durban
COMPANY REPORT
Shipshape In Durban Editorial – Colin Renton Production – David Hodgson
Navy contract underlines South African Shipyards’ reputation as a world leader in the marine industry
Southern African Shipyards is putting the finishing touches to the state-of-the-art refurbishment of the South African Navy’s only surviving strike craft at its yard in the Port of Durban. The renovations are being carried out on the SAS Isaac Dyobha, the SAS Galashewe and the SAS Makhonda - and the job represents something of a homecoming for all three vessels. They were first built in the yard around 30 years ago and a number of senior staff at South African Shipyards have said they remember the ships taking shape back then. The strike craft were part of a fleet of nine such ships which were busy in South African waters during the years of sanctions and isolation, but are being converted into offshore patrol boats as the Navy
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moves to meet the needs of the country’s 21st Century requirements, which involves defence but increasingly also elements of environmentalism and fisheries protection. The vessels were transferred to South African Shipyards’ 100m x 30m floating dock and then secured on specially built cradles before being moved to the yard’s huge 320m x 42m maintenance hall. The ships have been worked on, one by one, since the Isaac Dyobha was the first to arrive in October. The refurbishments include new electrics and mechanics and fresh paint jobs for the hulls. The trio of ships will undergo full sea trials before being handed back to the Navy, with the handover due to take place in March.
SA SHIPYARDS
“At the end of the programme the Navy will have three serviceable, reliable vessels that it will be able to use for its relevant missions,” a spokesman said. The contract underlines how South African Shipyards continues to be regarded as a world class operator in the marine industry. It’s a reputation garnered over decades of leadingedge commercial and naval shipbuilding and ship repairing to the worldwide marine industry from the bustling yard in Durban, South Africa’s busiest port. South African Shipyards is already recognised as one of the industry leaders when it comes to building world-class tug boats and one of the firm’s targets for the future is to create a niche market for the Voith Schneider-type tug – a harbour workhorse famed for its high manouverability - and so dominate the international market.
But the company is also hoping to attract more orders from the military and wants to work closely with the Navy again soon. A spokesman said: ‘The South African Navy has made known their intention to build naval vessels in the not too distant future for which we will definitely make a very serious bid.’ The experts at South African Shipyards have already designed a unique, low-cost 45m patrol vessel to help combat piracy in Africa and protect the continent’s marine resources. And the company sponsors and takes part in the annual Sea Power for Africa Symposium that brings together all Africa’s navy chiefs, with the objective to ensure a secure marine environment so that Africa can continue to do business with the rest of the world. But in shipbuilding there are no guarantees – and to protect the interests of the African industry as a whole South African Shipyards is a major player in the South African Shipbuildng Defence Industry. This is a forum involving some 16 companies and the aim is to encourage the industry in Africa to talk with one voice and to each other to try to ensure that future orders from the African military stay in Africa rather than going to Europe, or more likely these days, to China or India. The concerns are real – at the most recent Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition, representatives came from numerous yards in China, India and Europe, and even from Turkey. For now, at least in South Africa, the shipbuilding industry is enjoying a renaissance after a number of difficult years when new work was hard to come by and South African Shipyards is playing a leading role in the rejuvenation. Shipbuilding in the Durban yard dates back to 1961 when it was developed out of mangrove swamps. In 1964 the government released funds to promote the industry and several yards were soon busy in the area. The company was created in 1996 to build tugs. In the following years the company built superstructures and hulls for luxury motor yachts and in the late 1990s was hailed as the largest producer of such hulls. There followed a temporary two-year closure but the yard reopened in 2006 and an order for seven 70-tonne tugs gave the revitalised company a sound foundation for growth and it is now the largest shipbuilder in the country. Diversification is, these days, the key to success. For example, South African Shipyards has built pontoons and structures for a river mining project in Mozambique, and the company hopes to lend its expertise to oil and gas exploration projects.
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COMPANY REPORT
There is also the rest of Africa to consider as the continent continues its rapid industrial development. The company is confident that its successful blueprint can be replicated elsewhere. There are real possibilities for partnerships with other shipyards where the industry is less developed - South African Shipyards is expecting a major market in offshore vessels to emerge in West Africa and Angola because of the region’s growing energy sector. Closer to home, the success of the yard is crucial to the success of Durban and its people as it employs up to 500 mostly locally-based workers, including the highly-trained craftsmen that the company is famed for, and a new breed of shipbuilders.An innovative apprenticeship scheme has been introduced which will see dozens of new mechanical engineers introduced into the industry over the next few years, with a number of them being black females.The company’s managing director Louis Gontier has stressed that training is an enormous priority and fundamental to the future of the South African shipbuilding industry.
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SA SHIPYARDS
And his firm is determined to make their prized apprenticeships the best in the business. There will be no short cuts - candidates will have to go through a five-to-seven year programme before they can be considered master shipbuilders. Such schemes make South African Shipyards a big part of the Durban community - a position the firm is proud of. It has worked with the Durban Children’s Home as its charity and, as well as giving donations and sponsorships, has offered to employ as many of the children from the home as possible when they finish their education. Back in the yard, the firm has a clinic that services not only employees from South African Shipyards but also from neighbouring companies. With national and international orders, a philosophy of building in South Africa for South Africa, and a strong foothold in its local community, all in all, it seems that South African Shipyards is a company on the crest of a wave.
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+27 31 274 1800 www.sa-shipyards.co.za
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