Transnet Agrees Wage Deal with Majority Labor Union
South African state-owned logistics firm Transnet said on Monday it had agreed a three-year wage deal with the union representing the majority of its workers, ending a two-week strike that had hit commodities exports and piled up millions in losses."Transnet and the company's majority union United Transport and Allied Trade Union (UNTU) reached a three-year wage agreement today," it said in a statement, adding the deal would bring most of its employees back to work.UNTU members…
Siemens to Set up in Durban Harbor Facility
Siemens, a subcontractor to Southern African Shipyards, will build five tugs for Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA.) The company says it will establish a fully functional electrical facility in the shipbuilding yard at harbor in support of the project. The Siemens contract includes the design and installation of 15 km of cable and the installation of the radar, communication and alarm monitoring systems. This is the first time in that five boats are being built in tandem. The first tug, destined for Coega, is expected to be launched in July 2009. Source: Engineering News
Dormac's Deal Revives South African Shipbuilding
There was excitement at Dormac recently when the keel-laying ceremony for a new $8.2m oil bunker barge commissioned by Smit Amandla Marine signaled the revival of the shipbuilding industry in South Africa. Dormac's empowerment partner, Palisa Investments, owns 25.5 percent in the company, according to a report on www.busrep.co.za. Pim Zandee, the former chief executive of Smit Amandla, said the specialist marine services company, which is the biggest oil bunker supplier in the Durban harbor, chose Dormac to build the bunker barge as it wanted to prove that the work could be done in South Africa. The barge is due for delivery in September or October next year. Dormac was established in 1967 as Dorbyl Marine and built 107 ships until 1994, employing 1,800 workers.
