Samsa on track to acquire two tall ships

South Africa is on course to acquire two tall ships, with negotiations with relevant stakeholders already at an advanced stage. That’s according to Commander Tsietsi Mokhele, CEO of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa), which has been pushing for a South African-flagged fleet for some time. It is believed that Samsa will use the two vessels – for which financing is currently being secured – for training and other maritime development initiatives. The Department of Transport is currently investigating the sustainability of Samsa incorporating a tall ship in its seafarer training programme because it is believed that cadets trained on vessels where operations are 100% manual have a better appreciation of stability, navigation and general vessel handling. A Samsa spokesman told FTW South Africa continued to lag behind its Brics partners in the maritime sector and had much to learn from them. At the recent Brics conference, Samsa pledged to work with Brazil, China, Russia and India to get its maritime sector on track and push for a South African merchant fleet. The purchase of two tall ships will be the start of delivering on the country’s maritime dream, says Samsa. “It will go a long way in changing South Africa’s current profile where it does not have a domestic shipping company or merchant ships to carry its over 260 million tonnes of cargo,” said the spokesman. At the same time Samsa will continue to work closely with its Brics partners to learn as much as it can. Brazil operates an estimated fleet of 172 merchant vessels, Russia 1891 vessels, India 534 and China some 2044 merchant ships. Said the spokesman, “South Africa hopes to leverage transport as a catalyst for economic growth, transformation and development and is therefore placing a particular focus on maritime.” CAPTION Tsietsi Mokhele ... negotiations at an advanced stage.