Marine sector holds key to SA economic growth

Growing South Africa’s
maritime sector is a sure way
of growing the country’s
economy, according to
Commander Tsietsi Mokhele,
CEO of the South African
Maritime Safety Authority
(SAMSA).
“We have not taken
advantage of our maritime
sector,” Mokhele told FTW.
“All of the 200 million
tonnes of our trade are
carried by foreign flagged
ships costing the South
African economy in excess
of R37 billion per year if
not more going on 2009
figures. By now that amount
has increased as we are now
moving some 260 million
tonnes of trade. It is a
situation we must address if
we want to really grow our
economy.”
He said with some 98% of
South African trade volumes
carried by ship, one of the
major jobs ahead is to create
a fleet of South African
flagged ships.
This is a call that was
reiterated by the Minister of
Transport, Sibusiso Ndebele
last week at the Umyezane
Broad-Based Black
Economic Empowerment
(B-BBEE) Conference and
Business Awards where
he said, considering South
Africa was in the world’s top
15 shipping nations by tonne
per mile measurement, it was
time to prioritise the marine
sector and the first step was
investigating the need for
South African flagged ships.
President Jacob Zuma
has also added his weight
to the marine sector ,having
announced a R300 billion
spend on the expansion of,
primarily, the country’s
maritime freight corridors,
split between rail and ports.
According to Mokhele the
maritime sector has been
overlooked for far too long.
“We have been blind to
the opportunities passing by
on our coastline – we now
have to grab them.”
As example he said
some 30% of the world’s
production of crude oil came
round Cape point every
year but the country was
servicing none of it.