Durban shipyard gets order for R60m bunker barge

Terry Hutson
THE DORMAC shipyard in Durban has been awarded the contract to build a R60- million new bunker barge for Smit Amandla Marine. About 150 skilled people will be employed in the fabrication process and another 500 or more employed in secondary and sub-contracting work Manana Nhlanhla, chairperson of Smit Amandla announced this week. Construction time is expected to be 12 months and will involve over 900 tonnes of South African steel. The barge will be built in modules and assembled on one of three slipways at the Durban yard. She said the newbuild project was an example of her company’s commitment to the local economy as most of its bunker barge activities were located in the Port of Durban. The new barge has been designed with a capacity of 5000t and a delivery rate of 1000t per hour, capable of delivering marine fuel oil, gas oil and diesel oil.
Features inherent in the design, which employs the latest in international barge design and technology, along with high manoeuvrability and safety features, include diesel-electric propulsion, closed loop loading, a bunker gantry and wheelhouse control of the whole cargo operation and the barge. Paul Maclons, managing director of Smit Amandla Marine, says the company is planning ahead in terms of skills development. “We have already begun a training and development programme with bunker barge masters and crew and are focusing on expanding our pool of local human resources to ensure that we have the required experienced personnel to man the new barge when it comes into service. An investment in our people is as important as the investment in new hardware,” he said. Chris Sparg, MD of Dormac said that much of the past 12 months has been spent gearing up in anticipation of acquiring orders for bunker barges. This was a niche area in which a South African shipyard such as Dormac could compete with international shipyards. Sparg said Dormac had spent R6 million refurbishing and modifying the entire shipbuilding area in anticipation of new building projects and also to facilitate the conversion of single skin barges to double skin.