Smit Amandla Marine News

AMSOL has been awarded a five-year contract by the South African Department of Transport to operate the standby tug utilized as part of state driven proactive marine pollution prevention measures. And in another development, AMSOL has been appointed by the Sunrise Energy Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Import Terminal as the preferred marine contractor to fulfill marine operations and multi buoy mooring surface and subsea maintenance requirements in Saldanha Bay, South Africa. AMSOL’s Managing Director Paul Maclons said the award by the Department of Transport is a testament to the experience and professionalism of seafarers and shore based support personnel involved in the contract…

Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) has successfully completed the sale of its stake in SMIT Amandla Marine (SAM). The possible sale had already been announced in March 2016. The stake was sold to management and local investors, thereby returning the business of SAM to 100% South African ownership. Boskalis received a cash sum of approximately EUR 50 million for the sale. The activities and results of SAM will be deconsolidated with effect from 1 December 2016. Following the sale, Boskalis will continue to be permanently represented in the region through the activities of SMIT Salvage.

The second of two Damen Shoalbuster 3009 multi-purpose workboats for SMIT Amandla Marine has been named in a ceremony at Damen Shipyards Cape Town, South Africa. With De Beers Group Services the end client, the Lady Sponsor for the occasion was Mrs Adri Nelson, Supply Chain Centre Manager for De Beers Group Services in Port Nolloth. Mrs Nelson has been integral to the newbuild programme in her role of managing the Northern Cape based supply chain centre for De Beers. Named the Aogatoa, the vessel is the second of two Shoalbusters 3009 ordered by SMIT Amandla Marine for the De Beers contract and built at Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT). The first, the Aukwatowa, was delivered in December 2015.

The naming ceremony for the first of the two Damen Shoalbusters 3009 being built for marine solutions specialist SMIT Amandla Marine at Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT), was held on Thursday, 29 October 2015. Mrs Jenny Coltman, Spouse of the Chairman of De Beers Group Services, named the vessel Aukwatowa. The Shoalbuster series of multi-purpose, shallow draught workboats are designed for inland and coastal waters. The 30 metre 3009S has a bollard pull of 24.5 tonnes and is fitted with a crane with a lifting capacity of up to 1.7 tonnes, making it suitable for towage, buoy-laying, pushing and all-round support duties. These new vessels will carry out supply and support work for the De Beers Group’s offshore diamond mining activities out of Port Nolloth in the Northern Cape.

Fire onboard a boat or ship is generally considered the most dangerous situation on the water. While advances in technology have helped to mitigate risk, consistently investing to upgrade a crew’s firefighting training, skills and equipment is the best means to keep crew, ship and cargo safe if disaster strikes. While innovative new fire-resistant materials and advanced fire suppression equipment onboard ships and boats has helped to improve fire security, technology alone is not a one-stop security blanket in the quest to keep crew and ship free from harm in the case of a fire.

Titan Salvage, now a part of Ardent following completion of the merger of Titan and Svitzer Salvage, has completed the removal of the wreck of the cape-size MV Smart coal carrier in South Africa, an especially challenging project due to weather conditions that prevail on the South African coast, particularly during the winter period. The removal of the vessel, which was entered in North P&I Club by owner Alpha Marine, has been accomplished on time and on budget due collaboration with the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), Titan and North.

South Africa’s charity National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) was warning fishermen and other boaters in and around the Cape Peninsula and False Bay Coast to be aware of a “barely visible” capsized boat. A few days later though, the wreck had disappeared! NSRI warned that that a large fishing vessel capsized and has been floating in a shipping lane some 9.8 miles south off Cape Point since May 1. The wreck had first been sighted by local fishermen returning from deep sea on Thursday. They reported their find to the NSRI in Simon's Town. The NSRI had inspected the hulk, but its tug was not big enough to tow it. Hence they marked it with strobe lights attached to life jackets to ensure the safety of fishermen at night.

Wilfred Solomons-Johannes, the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Risk Management spokesman, said another attempt at dislodging the stranded  Eihatsu Maru was scheduled to start soon, according to a IOL news report. Smit Amandla Marine, the maritime service provider that has a contract with Samsa, led a team of engineers and salvage specialists on to the boat on Monday to assess the best way of dislodging the vessel. Dave Colly, Samsa’s regional manager, said that after considering other possibilities, the team took the decision to stick with the method previously used – spanning a rope around the accommodation unit and pulling. “This is a very sensitive environmental area.

In October 2010, the Offshore Support tug Smit Siyanda was delivered to her owners, SMIT Shipping Singapore Pte. Ltd. of Singapore. The vessel will be operated by SMIT Amandla Marine (Pty) Ltd. of South Africa. The Smit Siyanda was built by the Keppel Nantong Shipyard Co. Ltd. of China to a design by Robert Allan Ltd., Naval Architects of Vancouver, BC, based on the now well-proven platform of their RAmpage 5000 series offshore tug designs. This new vessel, however, has a rather more diverse operating mandate than its predecessors…

Wärtsilä has signed a contract with the STX Finland Oy shipyard in Rauma, Finland, to deliver four Wärtsilä 32 engines for a Polar Supply and Research Vessel. The owner of the vessel will be the Republic of South Africa's Department of Environmental Affairs, and it will be operated by SMIT Amandla Marine, of South Africa. The vessel's crew will be trained at the Wärtsilä Land and Sea Academy in Turku, Finland. "This vessel order is one of the biggest single trade agreements ever between Finnish industry and South Africa, and we hope it will lead to additional business.

According to reports, there was a buzz of excitement at Dormac on Friday when the keel-laying ceremony for a oil bunker barge commissioned by Smit Amandla Marine signalled the revival of the shipbuilding industry in South Africa. Dormac's empowerment partner, Palisa Investments, owns 25.5 percent in the company, which procures almost 100 percent of its goods and services from black economic empowerment companies. 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 harbour, 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.

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.