The latest of Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA’s) nine new, powerful tugboats will set sail from the Durban premises of contractor Southern African Shipyards this month, destined for its new home at the Port Elizabeth port.

The tug was ceremonially launched as Qunu in May alongside a third tug, Cormorant.

Qunu was named after the Eastern Cape home village of former President Nelson Mandela.

This was the second of two new tugs built for the Port Elizabeth port as part of the TNPA’s large-scale fleet replacement project. Qunu would be handed over officially to the port in the coming weeks.

The first tug, Mvezo – named after the birthplace of Mandela, in the Eastern Cape – was unveiled at the port by President Jacob Zuma in April.

Valued at R1.4-billion, the nine-tug contract was the largest single contract TNPA had ever awarded to a South African company for the building of harbour craft.

“The building of these tugs demonstrates that this country has the expertise to compete in the global shipbuilding industry and to use the maritime economy to unlock the economic potential of South Africa, in line with the government’s Operation Phakisa initiative,” said TNPA CEO Richard Vallihu.

Two tugs each would be allocated to the ports of Durban, Richards Bay and Port Elizabeth, while Saldanha, which handled the largest carriers, would receive three tugs.

BENEFITS
The tug building project kicked off in August 2014 and five tugs were under construction simultaneously at any given time, owing to the project’s tight deadlines.

TNPA programme manager Thandi Mehlo said TNPA had 29 tugs presently in service nationally, but the requirement for more powerful tugboats had increased in line with bigger commercial vessels calling at South African ports more frequently.

“TNPA’s new fleet will include nine tugs that are 31-m-long with a 70 t bollard pull. The older tugs have 32.5 t to 40 t pulls,” she said.

She added that the increased bollard pull of the new-generation tugs met international standards and featured the latest global technology.

“The tugs have Voith Schneider propulsion, which makes them highly manoeuvrable and able to change the direction and thrust almost instantaneously while guiding large vessels safely into our ports,” he said.

Durban-based Southern African Shipyards, which owned and operated the largest shipyard in Southern Africa, also built TNPA’s previous 12 tugs.

Subcontractors on the project included multinationals such as Barloworld Equipment, Siemens, Voith Schneider, as well as local contractors such as Bradgary Marine Shopfitters.