A delay in repairs to the hospital ship Africa Mercy has driven a two-and-a-half week adjustment of timelines for Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA’s) R30-million repair project at the Prince Edward Graving Dry Dock, in Durban.

This came after private ship repair company Dormac Marine and Engineering discovered that additional work was required on the ship’s shaft during a routine repair and survey exercise at the TNPA-owned dry dock, which was due to be nonoperational for two months over August and September.

Parts had to be sourced from overseas and the vessel departed from the dock on August 18 rather than the planned July 31 departure date.

TNPA said in a statement on Monday that the two-month nonoperational period at the dock had been adjusted to start from August 19 – when appointed contractor Channel Construction took full occupation of the dock –  and end on October 20.

The expected completion date of the caisson repair project had also moved from November to mid-December.

“This was an unforeseen delay; however, we remain committed to adhering to the adjusted project schedule for our caisson repair and are working to minimise any further impact on the ship repair industry,” commented Durban port manager Moshe Motlohi.

The 90-year-old Durban dry dock was undergoing the third and final phase of a comprehensive repair programme on its 35-m-long, 900 t steel caisson, which was deemed unsafe and in need of repair.

Channel Construction was working alongside managing contractor Sebata Group, which was overseeing the caisson repair project.

The team was working in 24-hour shifts, with the majority of the work being carried out off site at the contractor’s Bayhead workshop.

Work included demolition and waste disposal, structural repair, welding, modification and replacement of structural members and plates, design and fabrication certification, commissioning and final handover.

The outer caisson repair project formed part of TNPA’s large-scale repair programme for the dry dock.

The authority had accelerated planned refurbishments of existing ship repair facilities at its ports in line with the South African government’s Operation Phakisa initiative, which aimed to unlock the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans.

Under Transnet’s Market Demand Strategy, the plans were a key aspect of TNPA’s R35-billion-plus investments into port infrastructure, capacity and maintenance over seven years until 2019.