A second new tug for the Port of Saldanha was launched this week in Durban.
The tug, named Osprey in honour of the fish eagle, is the fourth of nine new tugs the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) is building in Durban as part of its R1,4 billion tug building contract.
In line with maritime tradition, the duty of officially naming the vessel was carried out by its sponsor TNPA, represented by Thandeka Mabija, who earlier this month was appointed general manager for human resources at the authority.
The work is being done by Durban shipbuilder Southern African Shipyards and is the largest single contract TNPA has ever awarded to a South African company for the building of harbour craft. Nine new tugs are being built over three-and-a-half years, as part of a wider fleet replacement programme that covers tugs, new dredging vessels and new marine aviation helicopters.
The programme – aimed at improving operational efficiency in the ports – sits within TNPA’s R56 billion contribution to Transnet’s R300 billion-plus market demand strategy. Five tugs are under construction simultaneously at any given time due to the project’s tight deadlines.
To date two tugs have been delivered to the port of Port Elizabeth and Saldanha took delivery of Cormorant in August. The Osprey will be delivered in December, followed by the port’s third tug next year. The ports of Durban and Richards Bay will also receive two new tugs.
The Southern African Shipyards CEO, Prasheen Maharaj, said the launch of Osprey “is tangible proof that South African shipbuilders can deliver technologically advanced, world-class products and can build, support and sustain the technologically superior capabilities of these tugs.”
Each of TNPA’s new fleet of nine tugs is 31 metres long with a 70 ton bollard pull. The older fleet of 29 tugs has 32,5 to 40 ton pulls. The increased bollard pull of these new generation tugs meets international standards and they also feature the latest global technology such as Voith Schneider propulsion, which makes them highly manoeuvrable and able to change direction and thrust almost instantaneously while guiding large vessels safely into South Africa’s ports. – Source: TNPA
