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.