MARITIME REVIEW AFRICA
NEWS ROUND-UP FEBRUARY 2019
SECURITY
Acting against illegal activities at sea Mozambique, the United States of America and a number of other partner countries are currently undertaking a 11-day naval exercise aimed at providing training in combating illicit trafficking, piracy and the interception of vessels engaged in illegal fishing.
PEOPLE & EVENTS
Project Biro will deliver three inshore patrol vessels by 2023 SOUTH AFRICA: Around 300 guests were invited to celebrate the official launch of Project Biro at a keel laying ceremony hosted by Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) at the end of February.
Montsi added that it was encouraging to see how Operation Phakisa had impacted on the local shipbuilding sector by stipulating that all vessels required by the State should be built locally.
Speaking at the function, Chairman of DSCT, Sam Montsi, said that the three vessels would be built within specification and to budget. “The ARMSCOR evaluation process was robust and we are proud to have won the tender,” he said commenting that he hoped that the original scope of the project, that included a further three offshore patrol vessels, could be revisited.
Vice Admiral Mosiwa Hlongwane, noted the importance of the multi-mission vessels for the navy. “These vessels will be the workhorses of the Navy and reduce the workload of the Navy’s existing fleet,” he said adding that they would provide a cost-effective platform to undertake efficient missions within South Africa’s maritime domain aimed at addressing issues of illegal fishing and trafficking.
The first vessel is due to be completed and be in service by June 2021. The second and third vessels will follow in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Also on hand to mark the occasion, Minister of Defence and Military Veterans, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, said; “This new multi-mission inshore patrol vessels will cater for the roles and obsolescence of Navy vessels such as the Strike Craft, Mine Countermeasures Vessels and the Torpedo Recovery Vessel that have been in service for more than 40 years.”
Dubbed “Cutlass Express 2019”, the operation is taking place within the framework of the existing multilateral partnership between the Republic of Mozambique, the United States of America and other partner countries. The naval exercise also includes the holding of a Symposium of Senior Leaders in the city of Maputo from 4 to 7 February 2019. The exercise was designed to strengthen multilateral cooperation between naval forces operating in the Indian Ocean and will focus on skills related to the identification, approach and pursuit of suspect vessels at sea. Together with eleven other East African and Indian Ocean nations, Mozambique signed the Jeddah Amendment to the 2017 Djibouti Code of Conduct, which offers it the possibility to build national and regional capacities to respond to the wider problems of maritime security, the sustainable development of the maritime sector. The “Cutlass Express” exercise moves each year, with 2019 representing the ninth year of a naval exercise to strengthen cooperation and interoperability between the military forces of the partner nations.
FISHING
EU/Morocco Fisheries deal gets the nod MOROCCO: On 12 February the European Parliament gave its consent to the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement between the EU and Morocco. This agreement, valid for four years, allocates fishing opportunities for the EU in exchange for an overall financial contribution of € 208 million euros. A substantial part of this contribution will be used to promote the sustainable development of the fisheries economy in Morocco and the Western Sahara.
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GREEN MARINE
Investigating critical shark habitat and movements Recently the WILDOCEANS Research Vessel, RV Angra Pequena, carrying a team of researchers and marine students, set sail to Protea Banks on the south coast of KwaZulu-Natal to retrieve telemetry receivers previously deployed in the area. These receivers will provide the ability to investigate the movements of tagged sharks and highlight the importance of canyon heads as critical shark habitat. They pick up and record unique signals from acoustic tags inserted onto tagged fish and sharks and allow researchers to track the movement patterns of these species. The acoustic listening devices were deployed from RV Angra Pequena in July 2018 at 80-90m depths at the head of each of the three big submarine canyons that lie seaward of behind the Protea Banks reef system, within the newly announced marine protected area (MPA). This forms part of a national Acoustic Telemetry Array Platform (ATAP) that is managed by the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB) and is made up of a network of acoustic receivers that are strategically deployed at stations all along the coast. Dr Jean Harris, Executive Director of WILDOCEANS, said that this study is the first of its kind in South Africa and one of only a few worldwide. “The aim is to study the movement of sharks along the KwaZulu-Natal coast. This part of the project that is led by Dr Matt Dicken of the
KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board, aims to understand the importance of canyon heads as critical habitat for sharks, especially species such as Tiger, Ragged-tooth and Zambezi.” Dr Jean Harris added, “We are especially interested in understanding the role submarine canyons play as productive nodes in the seascape and the connectivity with shallower inshore habitats. The receivers that we retrieved and replaced are deeper in 80-90m of water at canyon heads. Due to the depth of these sites, the receivers have acoustic releases, which can be remotely activated from the surface by a boat.”
data as possible to confirm and document such activity and conduct further research to add to the long list of reasons why areas like Protea Banks are special. Protea Banks was recently announced as one of the new 20 MPAs.
In December 2018 and January 2019, WILDOCEANS undertook a Scalloped Hammerhead shark survey in Protea Banks. “As this species has only been tagged in Mozambique to date, if we picked up any signals for this species on our receivers this would show that there is a connection between sites in Mozambique and this big aggregation in southern KZN, and that the sharks are moving between them”, said Dr Jean Harris, expressing that the team would be excited if they were recorded on the Protea Banks receivers.
“As an organisation that is mandated to protect KZN’s natural environment, it’s critical for Ezemvelo to be central to such studies so that we’re able to make note of any new findings that are made especially around MPAs because we are going to be delegated the responsibility of maintaining the MPAs and applying the objectives and whatever management plan that arises,” said Jordaan. Youth for MPAs representative and Ocean Steward Jamila Janna, whose role on the expedition was to help spot the buoys attached to the equipment when it surfaced, said that she really enjoyed being exposed to different people and seeing how diverse a field can get. “Seeing how many components there are to marine biology and also just spreading the message of conservation -it’s
Tembisa Jordaan, Scientist from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife who observed the telemetry retrieval, said that a very special and massive shark aggregation event has been reported by divers and dive operators in the area of which there is very little research of. She feels it is important for scientists to collect as much
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fun and I just love learning. I really like experiences like this and love this kind of work.” This mission was part of the “Canyon Connections” project, funded by the National Research Foundation through the African Coelacanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP) which is managed by the South African Institute of Aquatic Biodiversity (SAIAB). This Telemetry research was filmed and is set to feature in a marine documentary series called ‘Our Oceans’ a co-production between WILDOCEANS and Off the Fence, a world class production company, set to be released mid- 2019. The ‘Our Oceans’ marine documentary series (and feature film) will profile marine expeditions on board the RV Angra Pequena, raising awareness and knowledge about KwaZulu-Natal’s spectacular marine ecosystems, charismatic animals and profiling the learning journey of the scientists and Ocean Stewards on-board the vessel, as well as offer insights from communities along the coastline.
MARITIME REVIEW AFRICA PORTS
Construction Kicks Off at New Ngqura Liquid Bulk Terminal SOUTH AFIRCA: Oiltanking Grindrod Calulo (Pty) Ltd (OTGC) and Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) have officially turned the first sod at the site of the Port of Ngqura’s future liquid bulk tank farm and main access road. This comes ahead of the planned decommissioning and rehabilitation of the existing liquid bulk facilities at the neighboring Port of Port Elizabeth, which will pave the way for Ngqura’s establishment as a new petroleum trading hub for Southern Africa. The new tank farm is expected to provide storage and marine infrastructure to support the overall petroleum demand projections for South Africa. A sod-turning ceremony held on Thursday afternoon outside Port Elizabeth was attended by oil industry principals and government officials. Speaking at the event, Mkhuseli Faku, Chairman of OTGC said: “Having been awarded the concession to develop a liquid bulk storage and handling facility in the Port of Ngqura, OTGC is now embarking on the first phase of construction. The
terminal will be built to the highest international safety standards and provide exceptional service to its customers. OTGC looks forward to becoming a contributing member of the Nelson Mandela Bay community and expects to continue on its growth path in the years ahead.” Port Manager of the Port of Ngqura, Tandi Lebakeng welcomed the start of construction. “As the port landlord, TNPA is providing port infrastructure for the liquid bulk terminal to commence operations at the end of 2020. The new tank farm will develop the Port of Ngqura’s liquid bulk capacity for commodities such as petroleum, diesel, jet fuel, illuminated paraffin and liquid petroleum gas. Once operational, the terminal will facilitate substantially increased throughputs over present volumes handled at Port Elizabeth due to Ngqura’s deeper draught which allows it to handle much larger vessels. The allocated 20 Ha site also provides ample space for future expansion of the terminal,” she said.
and piped to the tank farm prior to local supply and/or local and global re-export. The new modern facility will service the oil majors, new entrants into the South African oil industry as well as international traders - all supporting the local shipping industry. To date the contract for Bulk Earthworks has been awarded and this activity will begin immediately. Civil,
Liquid bulk products will be transported to the Port of Ngqura via ship
mechanical and electrical contractors will be appointed shortly and they will be employing from within the community and developing skills within the construction industry. It is anticipated that 500 local jobs will be created during the construction phase of the project. The total number of permanent staff required for the terminal would be in the region of 50.
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3 FEBRUARY 2019
PEOPLE & EVENTS
FISHING
New manager appointed for cadet programme
Sea Harvest seeks 100 percent stake in Austrialian subsidiary
SOUTH AFRICA: Master Mariner, experienced Chief Officer and trainer of seafarers, Ian Hlongwane has been appointed as manager of the National Cadet Programme (NCP) run by the South African International Maritime Institute. Hlongwane says that his key focus would be to widen the network of partner shipping companies that provide training berths for the cadets in the NCP, demonstrating to ship owners the value offered by South African cadets and qualified seafarers
“I was also a cadet from South Africa and was given opportunities by the shipping industry to learn and grow through a career at sea. I have trained cadets and able seafarers in other countries, so I am excited now to do this for my people and my country, to uplift my community.”
share in the Mareterram in January 2016, which was increased to the current 56.3 percent in July 2016. This latest bid is therefore in line with our strategy, but more importantly, will allow us to extract operational synergies, whilst supporting Mareterram’s growth strategy.”
SOUTH AFRICA: Sea Harvest International Proprietary Limited (SHI), has entered into a bid implementation agreement with its Australian subsidiary, Mareterram Limited to acquire all remaining shares within the company. Sea Harvest Group CEO, Felix Ratheb, says, “Sea Harvest has a long history with Mareterram. The journey began with the signing of an agency agreement with the Craig Mostyn Group (Mareterram’s predecessor) more than 50 years ago. In line with Sea Harvest’s organic and acquisitive growth strategy, we successfully acquired a 19.9 percent
Ratheb affirms that 100 percent ownership of Mareterram will allow Sea Harvest to fast-track the achievement of the growth objectives for the Group, which include continuing to diversify its earnings and increasing the Group’s market share and presence in Australia.
Setting the tone for the state of maritime affairs SOUTH AFRICA: As has become the tradition over the last few years, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) hosted maritime stakeholders the evening prior to the president’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) which was held last week. This year’s function was held on board the SA Agulhas in the Port of Cape Town and allowed guests to interact and discuss the state of the maritime nation.
Noting the venue of the function, Msimang admitted that the training vessel, remains largely unfunded and that SAMSA was engaging with the National Lotteries Commission to find a solution to this challenge.
Eyeing out the superyacht fraternity SOUTH AFRICA: The V&A Waterfront is compiling a report into the much-anticipated project that could see Cape Town competing with other global facilities for a share of the lucrative superyacht maintenance and repair market. At the heart of the plan is a shared vision to leverage Cape Town’s maritime skills base to capture a greater share of the top end of the leisure boating market. The city is already a boatbuilding centre of excellence, home to the likes of Southern Wind Shipyard, Robertson & Caine and Two Oceans Marine.
Sea Harvest is offering A$0.25 cash per Mareterram share, thereby, valuing the entire issued capital of Mareterram at approximately A$38.6 million and the acquisition price for the Proposed Offer at A$16.9 million, which equates to ZAR163 million at current exchange rates.
PEOPLE & EVENTS
Speaking at the function, Chair of the SAMSA Board, Mavuso Msimang, highlighted that the Authority was committed to delivering on its mandate, despite difficult circumstances that include a challenging financial position as well as a diminishing skills base.
TOURISM
According to Fred Robertson, Chairman of the Board of Sea Harvest and its majority shareholder, Brimstone, the Proposed Offer is not only good news for Sea Harvest but also for transformation in South Africa. “The benefits of this investment will flow directly to Sea Harvest’s majority black shareholders and is aligned with our vision to create the first truly black owned global fishing and food company,” says Robertson.
Addressing another challenge for the industry, the Chair, spoke briefly on the desire to grow the South African Ships’ Registry. “Much of the policy environment has been addressed and a few but critical issues of implementation remain,” he said adding that the Authority was engaging with the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in this regard.
ABOVE: Sobantu Tilayi and Mavuso Msimang.
Also highlighting some of the successes that the Authority has achieved, Msimang, spoke of the opportunities for small businesses that had arisen as a result of the implementation of the Nelson Mandela Bay Offshore Bunkering Station. He also outlined the Rural Maritime Economy Development programme which aims to create opportunities for employment for people living in rural areas. “This programme, which we experimented with, created 176 jobs in 2018 and 97 jobs in 2017,” he explained. Looking towards the future of an ever-evolving maritime industry that includes the reality of unmanned ships, Msimang noted that the country needed to “review the type of maritime skills we are generating in order for us to stay relevant in the future”
MARINE ENGINEERING
Investment in Sturrock Dry Dock to help improve productivity SOUTH AFRICA - Cape Town: Transnet National Ports Authority plans to spend R98 million on the fabrication of a floating caisson for the Sturrock Dry Dock in the Port of Cape Town in an effort to double its productivity. The new caisson forms part of a much-needed multimillion-rand overhaul taking place at the port’s ship repair facilities under South Africa’s Operation Phakisa programme. The old, defective caisson had been out of commission since December 2016. The 74-year old dry dock was first commissioned in 1945 to repair American and British war vessels.
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Refurbishment of the old caisson cost TNPA R2.7 million and covered a condition assessment and finite element analysis, as well as stabilisation of the old caisson prior to the new one being introduced
MARITIME REVIEW AFRICA BRIEFS
Financial assistance for semi-industrial fishing vessels MAURITIUS: The Ministry of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping is implementing a scheme to provide financial assistance to registered fishermen cooperative societies for the purchase of “Semi-Industrial Fishing Boats” for off-lagoon and bank fishing.
Final feasibility and port masterplan delivered NIGERIA: The Final Feasibility Report for the development of
International partnership creates jobs for seafarers
a new deep-sea port in Nigeria’s Ondo State was handed over during January. The report was undertaken by Maritime & Transport Business Solutions (MTBS) and outlines port location, design and capacity for the Port of Ondo.
SOUTH AFRICA: The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has partnered with Norwegian shipping company Klaveness to provide skills training to and create jobs for South African seafarers.The partnership, will provide training and placements for South African seafarers on Norwegian vessels owned and operated by Klaveness.
Port authority warns youth not to fall for job application scams KENYA: The Kenya Ports Authority has issued a Public Notice warning job seekers not to be drawn into the actions of fraudsters who are targeting the youth with news that the Authority has 140 vacancies. The Authority has clarified that it will advertise all legitimate vacancies on its website.
Training focuses on empowering women in maritime GHANA: A training program has been organized by the Centre for Maritime Training and Development
Foundation for Younger Women at Spintex, a suburb of Accra, with the aim of equipping those who aspire to be in the maritime industry with the needed self-development and personal branding skills.
India hands over hydrographic chart of islands MAURITIUS: A new Hydrographic chart of Rodrigues Island and the first one of Le Morne were handed over, last Friday, to the Minister Mentor, Minister of Defence, Minister for Rodrigues, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, by the High Commissioner of the Republic of India to Mauritius, Tanmaya Lal, during a ceremony held at the New Treasury Building in Port Louis.
Building capacity in fishing and aquaculture MAURITIUS: Mauritius will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to establish a Regional Centre of Excellence that will serve as a hub for capacity building in the fisheries and aquaculture sector for Least Developed Countries(LDCs) in the African and Asian regions respectively
Maritime policy workshop will draw expert opinion GHANA: The Ghana Maritime Authority is collaborating with the International Maritime Organisation to bring together Maritime stakeholders to deliberate on a National Maritime Transport Policy for Ghana and other African countries during March this year.
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5 FEBRUARY 2019