Servicing and protecting Africa's oil rigs

Having identified a niche market for boats to service and protect oil rigs operating off the African coast and to deal with the growing threat of piracy, Nautic Africa has in the space of less than six years grown into arguably the continent’s leading specialist shipbuilding and maritime solutions company. It’s all about being mission specific, says Keith Govender, Nautic Africa’s chief services and support officer. “A boat is not a boat is not a boat. It is about being able to deliver turnkey vessel solutions. There is not a one size fits all approach at Nautic Africa,” says Govender. The company currently serves Nigeria, Ghana, Namibia, Malawi as well as the local South African market – and there is talk of a second factory. It is all about African products being built by an African company for an African operating environment. “Africa has for a long-time been the recipient of what the rest of the world deemed they required – but that is fast changing,” said Govender. “African countries know what they need and want and are actively going out there to source that. “Our clients come back because they know they are getting quality. African waters are rough and unpredictable and the products servicing this environment need to be able to stand the test of time.” At the same time it’s a market that demands excellent after-sales service. In Africa a deal is not done just because the product has been exported. “In our case that means having good maintenance programmes as well as the necessary training programmes in place. Our clients are all revenue-generating organisations. If their operations stand still they are losing money – and as a support service to that industry we have to be on top of our game and ensure that there is as little downtime as possible. We have partnered with local companies to ensure that our clients have the best possible service long after the boat has left Cape Town.” CAPTION A Nautic Africa boat used to service and protect oil rigs operating off the African coast.