Port Elizabeth: 14 September 2018
Veteran South African Master Mariner and an accomplished global shipping and fishing vessels and labour safety guru, Captain Nigel Campbell of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) formally went into retirement on Friday, the organization announced in Port Elizabeth.
Capt Campbell who turned 65 years old in September 2018, retired on Friday after 47 years in the country’s maritime sector, primarily as a mariner, then a ship’s surveyor before becoming an administrator for 16 of his 19 years of service at SAMSA – the latter which he joined in 1999, just as year after the agency was established.
At the time of his retirement, he had risen to the position of Deputy Chief Operations Officer but with yet full responsibility for general management of shipping anf fishing vessels matters as pertaining to SAMSA’s sphere of regulation.
Shipping regulation particularly from a safety perspective was an area of his specialization to the extent that he become SAMSA and the country’s constant representative at international meetings involving the London based International Maritime Organization (IMO) as well as at the International Labour Organization (ILO).
According to SAMSA, it was both Capt Campbell’s passion for especially fishing vessels safety and fishermen’s welfare globally that he not only pioneered by also led both the IMO and ILO in development of regulation management of these aspects through instruments including the IMO’s Cape Town Agreement and ILO’s Convention 188, the latter which was officially implemented first in South Africa at the end of 2017.
Speaking at a send-off function held at the Little Walmer Golf Club in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday afternoon, SAMSA Chief Operations Officer, Mr Sobantu Tilayi described Capt Campbell as a doyen of the country’s maritime sector vessels’ safety regulation whose dedication and strength of character saw him achieve far more than could be reasonably expected, both locally and internationally.
He described him as not only one of the most ‘incorruptable individuals’ in his area of operations but also an industry acknowledged strict disciplinarian who would be satisfied only with high degrees of efficiency.
Mr Tilayi also confirmed that while Capt Campbell officially retires, he will remain in touch with SAMSA and industry on a consultancy basis from November 2018.
For his part, Capt Campbell said: “It was an illustrious career which I enjoyed very much.” He thanked SAMSA for opportunities it had given him and wished the agency well into the future as it celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2018.
For Mr Sobantu’s full remarks in his reflection on Capt Campbell’s service record and character (4-minutes), as well as Captain Campbell’s and three other’s farewell remarks (3-minutes) click on the video below.
The ILO also weighed on in on Capt Campbell’s official retirement, describing him as a major contributor to oceans transport labour safety regulation.
In a video message shared at Capt Campbell’s send off function, Mr Brandt Wagner, ILO’s head of maritime transport policy sectoral unit, said: “Capt Campbell has a long history of working with the ILO on maritime issues. Some of the highlights of his work is that Nigel served as the chairperson of the Committee of the Fishing Sector at the 96th Session of the international labour conference in 2007 which adopted the Work In Fishing Convention 188.
“It was, to a great extent, due to his leadership that key problems were sorted out, and that the conference was not only able to adopt the Convention, but do so with overwhelming positive votes.
“Nigel chaired the tripartite experts meeting to adopt the guidelines on Flag State Inspections under the maritime labour convention in Geneva in 2008. He also chaired the ILO meetings that adopted Flag and Port State Guidelines based on Convention 188, and also the Global Dialogue Forum on the promotion of that convention..
“But besides chairing everything in sight, largely because he got things done, he helped the ILO with many other events around the world,” he said.
For Mr Wagner’s full remarks (three minutes) click on the video below.
More photos of guests and Capt Campbell’s colleagues at the send-off function.
End
Pretoria: 14 July 2018
“Africa is particularly vulnerable – droughts and flooding equally testify to this,” said Mr Pozzi further urging that all countries and regions, together with all economic sectors, had a responsibility and were expected to make their fair contribution towards attainment of the climate goals agreed in Paris in 2015.
On arrival in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront for the South Africa leg on November 24, topping celebratory activities to mark the two weeks’ stopover lasting until 10 December, were two, two-day United Nations-driven conferences focused on collaborative efforts for sustainable oceans management
The Volvo Ocean Race now in its 13th edition since launch 42 years ago is a major drawcard to a global mixed audience of millions of people in 113 countries, and shored up by more than 8000 hours of global television coverage with an average media value of 47.5 euros (2015 values). Corporate sponsors also number in the thousands.
However, additional conditions include that the agreement ratifying member States operating on the high seas would need to have an aggregate 3,600 fishing vessels of 24 m in length and over, collectively.
At conclusion of last week’s seminar at Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town, an undertaking was given that South Africa, actively and closely working with the IMO, would assist African countries with legal and technical expertise where needed.
According to the IMO, these included the entry into force of treaties under the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the FAO – among these, the ILO’s Work in Fishing Convention 2007 (Convention No. 188) effective 
Cape Town: 17 October 2017
It is the third in Africa – the first having been for French-speaking or Francophone countries, followed by one held for Asian countries.
