Ngqura harbour master and AHMC VP Thulani Dubeko
The inaugural African Harbour Masters Association (AHMA) conference is set to take place on March 2 and 3, in Tangier, Morocco.
South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) says its chief harbour master Captain Rufus Lekala has been working for ten years to make the conference a reality.
The conference aims to bring together industry to share experiences, expertise and challenges within the maritime sector under the theme: ‘The Crucial Role of Human Factors for a Best Future for African Ports’.
“This milestone has been realised through our collaboration with the Port Management Association of East and Southern Africa (PMAESA) and the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA), whose contributions were pivotal in ensuring that the idea reached out to most Harbour Masters across the continent,” Lekala says.
Five Captains from TNPA will be attending the conference, including Ngqura harbour master and AHMA VP Thulani Dubeko, Saldanha Bay harbour master Silindile Mdlalose, Ngqura deputy harbour master Yolisa Tibane, Cape Town deputy harbour master Robert Divhambele and vessel traffic service and pilotage senior manager Naresh Sewnath.
The two-day conference will feature Dubeko facilitating a discussion on dangerous cargo, while Sewnath will lead a vessel traffic services engagement.
Dubeko has been instrumental in lobbying for support from harbour masters throughout Africa and various maritime industry experts.
The AHMA conference will be a platform for harbour masters across Africa to share knowledge, expertise and challenges in the maritime industry.
The AHMA is a chapter of the International Harbour Master Association, which is a European chapter responsible for ensuring safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sound conduct of marine operations in port waters.