CT port spells out five-year fleet replacement strategy

The Port of Cape Town will replace two of its tugs by 2022 as part of an ongoing strategy to upgrade its equipment. According to Qamisa Tukani, Transnet National Ports Authority senior operations manager, procurement processes have already started for the two vessels that will replace the two oldest tugs in the port’s fleet. “We are vey challenged with launches as two of our tugs have been operational for 39 years already, making their replacement a necessity,” she said. The port has one new tug, the Usiba , which has been operational for only two years, while the Palmiet and Enseleni tugs still have some years of work in them after  19 years of service. “The Chardonnay and Merlot , however, need to be replaced. The plan is that both these tugs will be decommissioned as soon as the new tugs arrive in 2020.” According to Tukani this is part of the port’s five-year fleet replacement strategy. “We will also replace both our workboats by 2021. The current workboats, the Kestrel and Blue Jay , have both done 36 years of service. We should be replacing all floating craft after 35 years,” she said, indicating that TNPA was overdue with several vessels. The port would also introduce a helicopter service in 2021, she said. One helicopter would be purchased and would be used to service all the ports in the Western Cape, moving pilots to vessels particularly in rough sea conditions when it is difficult to operate the pilot boats. “We have two pilot boats in Cape Town and both are fairly new at only five years old.  We are very comfortable with these, but we struggle to berth vessels as we cannot get pilots onto the boats when there are heavy swells.” She said the pilot boats simply could not withstand the swells being experienced in Cape Town – hence the helicopter initiative. “We have run a helicopter trial and the results were very good,” said Tukani.