Nikolay Ivanov and Ncumisa Nkanunu
South Africa’s State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) officially named its new 750 m3 grab-hopper dredger ‘Italeni’ at a ceremony held in Bulgaria this week.
The name, TNPA said, was derived from the battle of Italeni, which took place near the Ithala Mountains in 1830 between forces led by Zulu King Dingane against the Voortrekkers.
The vessel would replace the current grab-hopper dredger, CRANE, which was recently equipped with a new grab crane. The equipment would be transferred to the Italeni after her arrival in South Africa.
The Italeni will be used mainly for maintenance work in various ports throughout the country.
The contract for the design, construction and delivery of the dredger was signed between TNPA and IHC Global Production, part of IHC Merwede, on January 29, 2013. The keel was laid on August 20, 2013, and the vessel would sail to Durban later in June.
The naming ceremony was hosted at a shipyard in Varna, Bulgaria, and presided over by TNPA’s supply chain GM Ncumisa Nkanunu.