Celebrated in South Africa on Monday, 27 June 2022, simulatenously in three coastal cities: Cape Town, Gqeberha and Durban
Below is a presentation of this blog’s coverage of the Durban leg of the event hosted by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) on behalf of the Department of Transport.
Durban: 27 June 2022
The port of Durban and precisely the N Shed was one of three venues for this year’s South African marking of the Day of the Seafarer – the other being Cape Town in the Western Cape (hosted by the Department Transport) and Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape (hosted by the South African International Maritime Institute) – under the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) theme: #Your Voyage. Then & Now. Share Your Journey.
This blog covered the SAMSA hosted leg in Durban and the event lived up to to its billing, with a mixed crowd of attendants ranging from school children, seafarers, academic institutions, maritime private sector business as well as officials of State entities – SAMSA, Transnet, Port Regulator etc, under leadership of the DoT.
Also present were students of the United States of America, Buzzards Bay based Massachusetts Maritime Academy, who happened to be in the South Africa’s second biggest city on the Indian Ocean coastline on the day as part of their maritime education tour of the country.
The programme for the day was shaped into three components: the official statements by the key institutions, DoT, SAMSA, Transnet as well as the Moses Kotane Institute, followed by presentations of seafarers on their “Voyage, then and now” and during which they all shared their journeys, thereafter followed by maritime sector businesses, and thus employers of seafarers – with responses also sharing their respective journeys, inclusive of current activities they are engaged into improve the lot of seafarers.
At some point, discussions were also held which allowed people on the floor to either share their own views on the conditions of seafarers, alternatively ask relevant questions to officials present.
In an effort to capture and share proceedings of the event in as much as undiluted a way as could be practically possible, this blog presents below a set of videos of the speakers of the day in accordance with their category of allocation on the programme.
Top up is the opening address by a senior official of the DoT, Director for Maritime Policy and Legislation, Mr Dumisani Ntuli.
Next are the Chief Executive Officers of SAMSA Ms Zamachonco Chonco (acting), and Dr Thandeka Ellenson of the Moses Kotane Institute.
On seafarers “#Your Voyage, Then and Now” sharing their stories, were Captain Thobela Gqabu (SAMSA regional manager, Eastern Region), Ms Makhosi Mthiyane and Ms Zimkhita Thembani (seafarers).
Responding were employers representatives, Mr Ross Volk (Managing Director, MSC South Africa), Ms Khuma Nthla (Executive Director, Linsen Nambi) and Transnet’s Durban port deputy Harbour Master, Captain Pinky Zungu.
Further contributors to the discussion were Mr Dumisani Ntuli (Department of Transport Chief Director: Maritime Policy and Legislation) and Mr Bheka Zulu (Board of Directors member both at SAMSA and Moses Kotane).
The event host allowed opportunity for a representative of the touring group of Massachusetts Maritime Academy students, Mr Brendan Brentone to say a word, along which we feature also a brief video chat with one of the students, Mr Matty McLeod, conducted outside the hall.
End