The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) hosted a successful two-day Underwater Radiated Noise (URN) Toolkit Workshop in Cape Town, South Africa on 26 – 27 March 2026

The IMO Glonoise URN Toolkit Workshop is one of the initiatives that affirm South Africa’s leadership on the African continent in tackling underwater noise pollution from ships. The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) serves as the national focal point, spearheading the country’s technical, regulatory, and scientific contributions to global efforts aimed at reducing underwater noise impacts on marine ecosystems.

Delivered under the GEF-UNDP-IMO GloNoise Partnership, the workshop successfully brought together biologists, engineers, and maritime authorities from South Africa and other African countres including Madagascar and Tanzania with the aim to foster regional cooperation on reducing the noise impacts from shipping.

The first day of the session focussed on the revised IMO Guidelines, introduction to URN basics, and an introduction to the URN Toolkit. The second day focussed on a more Practical Application of the RAINDROP and RAINDROP Lite Tool.

South Africa is proud to be the Lead Pilot Country in Africa and in ensuring that South Africa lays a firm foundation for its Environmental Risk and Impact Assessments to be conducted under the project, using sound science to help inform future regulatory frameworks.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) is hosting the International Maritime Organization (IMO) GloNoise Partnership Project’s Underwater Radiated Noise (URN) Assessment Toolkit Physical Workshop in Cape Town from 26–27 March 2026, affirming South Africa’s leadership on the African continent in tackling underwater noise pollution from ships.

South Africa was formally designated by the IMO as a Lead Pilot Countries under the GEF‑UNDP‑IMO GloNoise Partnership Project. SAMSA serves as the national focal point, spearheading the country’s technical, regulatory, and scientific contributions to global efforts aimed at reducing underwater noise impacts on marine ecosystems.

The workshop forms part of South Africa’s obligations as a Lead Country and brings participants, including National Task Force members, fishing industry stakeholders, and representatives from several African maritime administrations. Madagascar, South Africa’s twinning partner in the project, along with Tanzania, Mozambique, Namibia, and Angola, are also expected to participate.

The GloNoise Partnership Project is a global initiative aimed at strengthening international, regional, and national capacity to assess and manage underwater radiated noise from ships, which poses a major threat to marine life, including marine mammals, fish species, and other noise‑sensitive organisms. The workshop will focus on practical application of the IMO URN Assessment Toolkit, a key global instrument for evaluating and managing ship‑source acoustic pollution.

As a Lead Pilot Country, South Africa has taken significant steps to demonstrate tangible progress, including:

• Hosting the National URN Awareness Workshop in Cape Town in January 2025.
• Establishing a National Task Force on Underwater Radiated Noise, bringing together government, academia, ports, industry, and civil society.
• Launching national technical committees to drive research, policy, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) is honoured to be attending the 3-day National Transport Conference proudly hosted by the National Department of Transport.

In attendance at the Conference is SAMSA’s CEO, accompanied by members from the EXCO and supported by the SAMSA board.

SAMSA looks forward to delving deeper into conversations about the sector growth and the governance framework that will contribute towards the effective transformation of the transport sector as a whole.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) is closely observing the ongoing developments in the Middle East concerning the rerouting of merchant vessels around the Good Hope.

SAMSA, as the country’s designated authority for maritime safety and environmental protection, is closely monitoring the evolving situation and assessing its potential impact on global shipping routes. Through the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Cape Town, the Maritime Domain Awareness is on high alert to support the high-volume traffic. SAMSA anticipates a possible increase in maritime traffic along the South African coastline and the MRCC is well-positioned to monitor the movement of merchant vessels in real time.

The Safety Authority calls on ship operators to remain vigilant and stresses the importance of relying on verified, authoritative maritime safety information when making operational decisions.

“We stand fully prepared to support all vessels choosing to navigate past our coastline thereby providing the right of innocent passage as per The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),” said SAMSA’s CEO, Captain Dennis Mqadi. “We remain ready to provide navigational guidance, maritime domain awareness updates, and safety information to ensure secure and efficient passage for all ships.”

SAMSA reaffirms its commitment to upholding the highest standards of maritime safety within South African waters. “We will continue working collaboratively with national departments, regional partners, and global maritime bodies to ensure that South Africa remains a safe, reliable, and strategically important route for international shipping,” said Mqadi.

For further information, please contact:
South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA)
Email: mediaenquiries@samsa.org.za

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) hereby confirms that the search and rescue (SAR) operation for the tug LEO, which sank approximately 80 nautical miles south of Mossel Bay was officially suspended at sunset yesterday 2 March 2026 following an extensive multi-agency effort.

A total of 18 crew members were on board the vessel at the time of the incident. The verified status of the crew is as follows:

• 12 Surviving crew members have been safely disembarked in Port of Port Elizabeth, where they have received medical attention and support. 9 of the above crew members were rescued by a container vessel Maersk Karachi and the other 3 were rescued by RoRo vessel Grand Hero.
• 1 deceased crew member has been recovered, with formal identification underway in collaboration with relevant authorities. The deceased body was recovered by Fishing Vessel Boronia and subsequently landed in the port of Port Elizabeth.
• 5 crew members remain missing, despite extensive surface and aerial search operations conducted since the first MAYDAY distress call was received.

Throughout the operation, multiple vessels and air assets were deployed to support the SAR mission under the coordination of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Cape Town.

A navigation warning will remain active, advising mariners transiting the area of potential debris, the last‑known position of the sunken vessel, and the presence of unrecovered life‑rafts. Mariners are requested to continue reporting any sightings of debris, pollution, or persons in the water to MRCC Cape Town or Cape Town Radio.

SAMSA acknowledges the dedication of all partner agencies and vessels (Maersk Karachi, RoRo vessel Grand Hero and Fishing Vessel Boronia) who worked tirelessly under challenging conditions, including strong winds, high swells, and limited visibility. The Authority, together with the South African Search and Rescue Organisation (SASAR), extends heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased crew member and its deepest sympathies to the families of the five seafarers who remain missing during this difficult time.

Further updates will be provided as new verified information emerges.

The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Cape Town is coordinating a search and rescue (SAR) operation approximately 80 nautical miles south of Mossel Bay following a distress incident involving the tug LEO.

At 19:02 local time last night, the vessel transmitted a mayday distress message reporting uncontrolled water ingress and requesting immediate assistance. A mayday relay was subsequently broadcast via Cape Town Radio to alert nearby vessels to render support.

The vessel had 18 crew members on board. The crew abandoned ship into four (4) life‑rafts before the tug sank in the early hours of this morning.

Two merchant vessels and one local fishing vessel remain in the vicinity and continue to assist with search operations. A helicopter has also been deployed to provide aerial support across the search area.

To date, 13 crew members have been accounted for, consisting of 12 survivors, and 1 presumed deceased.

Search operations continue for the five remaining missing crew members.

Prevailing weather conditions in the area remain adverse; however, all available resources continue to be utilised to locate the missing crew.

An Incident Management System (IMS) structure has been activated to support and coordinate the ongoing response effort, ensuring alignment between MRCC, on‑scene resources, and relevant authorities.

SASAR extends its sincere condolences to the family of the deceased, and its thoughts remain with all those affected. Further updates will be issued as confirmed information becomes available. Issued by Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) Cape Town on behalf of the South African Search and Rescue Organisation.