Month: June 2023

Prevention of oil pollution at seas, the focus of Day of Seafarers 2023 celebrations on Sunday: Department of Transport.

Pretoria: 23 June 2023

Global celebrations of the Day of the Seafarer on 25 June 2023 – falling on Sunday this year – shifts its focus somewhat from welfare-centric matters towards one key environmental issue of general concern in the maritime sector: sea oil pollution and current as well as future mitigating measures against it.

According to the Department of Transport (DoT), lead organisers of South Africa’s marking of the annual International Maritime Organisation (IMO) event, to be hosted in coastal cities; Durban Gqeberha and Cape Town on Tuesday, 27 June 2027; the theme for this year’s celebrations, as endorsed by IMO is: Marpol at 50 – Our Commitment goes on.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) which jointly with the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) will co-host the event in Durban and Gqeberha, respectively, says the theme spotlights the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), which covers prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.

“It also reflects the IMO’s long history of protecting the environment from the impact of shipping via a robust regulatory framework, whilst emphasizing its ongoing commitment to this important work.

“The theme is also linked to pursuing the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which include affordable and clean energy (SDG 7); industry, innovation, and infrastructure (SDG 9); climate action and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources (SDGs 13 and 14); and the importance of partnerships and implementation to achieve these goals (SDG 17),” says SAMSA.

Transnet’s N-Shed hal at the port of Durban, the venue of this year’s leg of the marking of the Day of the Seafarer to be hosted by SAMSA on Tuesday, 27 June 2023

Hosted simultaneously at the coastal cities, with SAMSA in Durban, SAIMI in Gqeberha, and the DoT in Cape Town on Tuesday, the day’s proceedings will, in addition to a key address by the Minister of Transport, Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga; involve panel presentations and engagements focussing on what the public and private sectors, education institutions and related in South Africa, are doing jointly or individuals as groups, to contribute to the realisation of goals of the IMO Marpol Convention, as consistent also with the UN’s sustainable development goals.

The event, to which seafarers will fully participate and contribute, is scheduled to start at 08h30 and end at 15h00 in all three cities.

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Relaunched WOMESA South Africa Chapter has no more time to lose – commits new leadership.

Gqeberha: 05 June 2023

New leadership of the South Africa chapter of the Women in the Maritime in Eastern and Southern Africa (WOMESA) has committed to hitting the ground running to ensure that development of country’s women in the maritime sector do not only make up for lost time but also stay abreast of new trends globally.

This is according to Ms Phyllis Difeto, the new chairperson of the eight (8) member WOMESA South Africa Chapter leadership elected during the relaunch of the structure in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape on Wednesday, 31 May 2023 following a few years of inactivity.

Among those who attended the two day event in Nelson Mandela Bay to lend support to the resuscitation of the domestic WOMESA chapter were Minister of Transport, Ms Sindisiwe Chikunga along with representatives of various public and private maritime sector business institutions, the Eastern Cape government as well as the Nelson Mandela Bay local government.

In her address of the event on Tuesday, attended by about 150 women in the maritime sector from across the country, Ms Chikunga urged that the election of the new all-women WOMESA South Africa chapter leadership should be premised primarily on development priorities for women in maritime, rather than on personalities; mindful of both a groundswell of support it can bank on across the region, but also of pockets of re-emerging blatant resistance in South Africa to multiracialism, transformation, and equitable development of all the country’s people.

For Ms Chikunga’s full remarks, click on the video below

WOMESA, an eastern and southern African structure now with membership in 25 countries and chapters in 13 of these, was founded in 2007 initially involving five (5) countries, among them South Africa. However, the domestic chapter collapsed and remain inoperational for a number of years, in the process, undermining women in maritime developmental efforts, but especially in South Africa.

According to Ms Difeto in an exclusive interview, that situation will have to change, fast, through among other things; ensuring a functional, attentive and focussed structure living up to its constituency’s expectations and aspirations.

“We can no longer make excuses for our failures,” she said, while describing her election to lead the revived WOMESA chapter as both humbling, and reflective of faith and trust the country’s women in the maritime sector have in her.

For her full remarks, click on the video below.

The relaunch of the WOMESA South Africa chapter in Gqeberha also had the blessing of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) which, in a brief message, committed itself to render such support as may be needed from time to time.

For IMO Africa representative, Mr William Azuh’s message – delivered on his behalf by Ms Nokuzola Nkowane, Acting CEO of Ports Regular South Africa – click on the video below.

Various other organisations including WOMESA’s executive based in Mombasa, Kenya; the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA), the Eastern Cape government, Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI), AMSOL, Heron-Marine, and WISTA also expressed their support of the initiative.

Below are some of their statements as delivered by assigned representatives.

Mr Ndzimeni Ramugondo. Acting CEO. SAMSA
Mr Rufus Lekala. Chief Harbour Master. TNPA
Mr Odwa Mtati. CEO, SAIMI
Ms Mpumi Dweba-Kwetana. Harbour Master. TNPA Durban
Ms Nokuzola Nkowane. Acting CEO. Ports Regular South Africa and newly elected deputy chairperson of WOMESA South Africa Chapter.

This blog further sat down with SAMSA Chief Information Officer (CIO) Mr Ndzimeni Ramugondo and whose six (6) months term as the entity’s Acting CEO ended on Wednesday last week, to establish the significance and importance of the rescucitation of the WOMESA South Africa Chapter from the Transport Department agency’s perspective.

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