skills and development – The 10th Province

**Day of the Seafarer 2024: Durban. 25 June 2024**. Senior government officials, heads of organisations and companies, seaferarers and others attending, devoting a minute’s silence in memory of South Africa’s 11 fishermen lost at sea, and presumed dead in May 2024.

Pretoria: 04 July 2024

South Africa joined the global maritime community on June 25, the Day of the Seafarer, to honour and pay tribute to seafarers, in an event hosted in three of the country’s coastal cities of Cape Town, Gqeberha and Durban.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) in partnership with the Department of Transport (DoT) and Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) led the event in Durban KwaZulu-Natal, while the DoT held base in Cape Town, and the South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) hosted the Gqeberha leg.

SAMSA and the maritime captains saluted the endeavours of the seafarers who risk their lives at sea for months on end, annually.

Ushered by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) with the theme: “Seafarers’ contribution to making the maritime sector a safer workplace”, key speakers at the SAMSA event included Mr Dumisani Ntuli; Chief Director: Maritime Policy and Legislation at the DoT, Mr Tau Morwe, SAMSA Acting Chief Executive Officer (ACEO), along with representatives of maritime sector companies, among them; Mediterranean Shipping Company (MCS), South African Association of Ship Operators and Agents (SASOA), and Fender Care.

_{Mr Mahesh Fakir:
SAMSA Board Chairperson}

True to the spirit of the theme of the Day, the gathering in Durban dedicated a minute of silence in remembrance of the 11 South African crewmen who tragically lost their lives after their Cape Town based fishing trawler rapidly sank in the Atlantic Ocean on 17 May 2024. The fishing trawler, FV Lepanto, according to reports at the time, had 20 crew members on board, with nine (9) having survived the ordeal after being rescued.

SAMSA’s Board Chair, Mr. Mahesh Fakir, reflected on the incident as indicative of the most challenging working environments seafarers in South Africa and global have to deal with as well as vital role they continue to play to the world economy.

He noted that an investigation was still underway on the tragic Cape Town fishing vessel incident.

*^{Mr Tau Morwe. Acting CEO. South African Maritime Safety Authority}*

Also, in his opening remarks, speaking on the theme of the day and stressing the pivotal role seafarers play in ensuring safety in the maritime sector Mr Morwe, said: “The (Day of the Seafarer 2024) theme serves as a reminder of the crucial role that seafarers play in ensuring their own safety and the safety of the vessels while navigating the unpredictable sea. The maritime industry is a challenging and demanding environment where seafarers face numerous risks.”

“It is through their unwavering dedication, professionalism, and commitment to safety to overcome challenges and ensure the smooth operation of the maritime sector. As a South African Maritime Safety Authority, we share this responsibility. We pay tribute to all the seafarers that have been injured, lost their lives at sea, or have been suffering from trauma because of their service.”

Captain Brynn Adamson, TNPA Harbour Master at the port of Port Elizabeth, also shared a message of support to the contribution of seafarers towards their safety and wellbeing.

“As TNPA, the custodian of all the ports in South Africa, we take the role of embedding safety not only in marine operations exceptionally seriously, but also, ensuring that safety is cascaded to our tenants, port users, vessel masters, terminal operators, through our licenses, lease arrangements, incident management procedures.

“As one of the largest employers of seafarers in South Africa, TNPA pledges and reaffirms to the safety and most importantly, the well-being of seafarers that visit our 8 ports and all seafarers calling our shores. We take this opportunity to recognise the contribution that all seafarers make in our daily lives.”

Lending support to the focus of sentiment on the day, on behalf of government, Mr Ntuli of the DoT highlighted the government’s efforts in creating employment opportunities for seafarers in the country, outlining the plans that are in place.

“We have advocated for a homegrown ship as well as increase flagging to assist our seafarers to access high employment opportunities. The Merchant Shipping Act which is under reconstruction in a form of a Merchant Shipping Bill will introduce coastal shipping for the country and its regions which will promote also employment, skills and development,” said Mr Ntuli.

Meanwhile, as has become standard practice by the DoT and SAMSA during celebration of the Day of the Seafarer annually, pupils in grades 10 to 12 from about 12 schools in the KwaZulu Natal province partook in the event, as were exhibitors such as the South African Police Service (SAPS), African Marine Solutions (AMSOL), Moses Kotane Institute (MKI), Durban University of Technology (DUT), Ports Regulator of South Africa (PRSA), Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA), and KZN Department of Transport.

The event also encompassed a panel discussion on various subjects such as safety and wellbeing (psychological, emotional, and physical health) of seafarers as well as the advancement of technology, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) on whether it has an impact on job security of seafarers.

The panel discussion was led by Capt. Tshepo Motloutsi, a senior manager for maritime policy at SAMSA’s Centre of Policy, Legal and Regulation, in which participants include Mr Michael Manqele, lecturer at Durban University of Technology (DUT), Cap. Rodrego Thompson, a ship surveyor at SAMSA, Reverend Forbes Maupa from the Durban Seafarer Mission, Ms Tracy Myeza, Chief Engineer of Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) tugs, and Ms Zama Mkhize, Tug Master at TNPA.

For more visuals of the event, a large portion of which was livestreamed, please click on the following SAMSA Facebook posts links in succession.

https://web.facebook.com/share/v/2bcCkbXfjmpnHaEv

https://web.facebook.com/share/v/aWmjWCwRsM34yBxQ

https://web.facebook.com/share/v/TKSUhABSQUesP6hD

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Curriculum for eight (8) new national maritime occupational qualifications completed in record time, now for SAQA ratification.

PUTTING PEN TO PAPER: Officials involved in the development of eight (8) maritime sector national occupation qualifications curriculum (From Left) Henry Maringa, Mrs Yolandi Raath-Booyens and Mr Victor Muhlberg during the handover of the qualifications curriculum to the Quality Council of Trades and Occupations (QCTO) in Cape Town this week.

Cape Town: 17 November 2016

The reorganization and further development of South Africa’s maritime sector education and training now formally in its sixth year continues to gain impetus.

This was evidenced by the formal completion of yet another curriculum development initiative for eight (8) national occupational certificate courses in Cape Town this week.

Highly significant is that the curriculum development initiative, the second project of its kind driven by the maritime industry in collaboration with the Quality Council for Trades and Occupations (QCTO), the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) and the Transport Education and Training Authority (TETA) among others, began in May 2016 with an initial set of seven national maritime sector occupational qualifications, and was completed in under six months with eight courses – a record time.

This emerged during the formal signing off and hand-over of the developed qualifications’ curriculum documentation to QTCO officials at an event held Cape Town on Tuesday.

The eight national maritime sector occupation qualifications for which a new curriculum was developed include;

Port Operations Master,
Marine Electro-Technical Officer,
Aids to Navigation Manager,
Aids to Navigation Technician,
Dock Master,
Traffic Controller (Vessel Tracking System),
Maritime Search & Rescue Mission Coordinator
Diver (Commercial).

Mr Edward Pines, Senior Manager, Curriculum Development at South Africa Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) Centre for Maritime Excellence. — Mr Edward Pines, Senior Manager, Curriculum Development at the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) Centre for Maritime Excellence.

According to SAMSA senior manager, curriculum development; Mr Edward Pines, the qualifications conceptualized and proposed by SAMSA consistent with the objectives of the Operation Phakisa (Ocean Economy) project, will once formally endorsed by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA), greatly enhance the position of holders both locally and for the African region, while providing international recognition. (For Mr Pine’s full remaks Click Here)

However, more crucial to development of the set of qualifications, said Mr Pines, was the direct involvement and input of the country’s maritime sector industries, the critical guidance role played by the QCTO, as well as highly useful contributions by the TETA.

The QCTO is one of three national quality councils established in 2010 in terms of the Skills Development Act, with its role being to oversee the design, implementation, assessment and certification of occupational qualifications on the Occupational Qualifications Sub-Framework (OQSF).

Officials attending the handing over newly developed curriculum for eight (8) national occupational qualifications for the the maritime sector education and skills development, being taken through a summary of the process by SAMSA Senior Manager, Curriculum Development, Mr Edward Pines at function in Cape Town on Tuesday. — Officials attending the handing over of newly developed curriculum for eight (8) national occupational qualifications for the maritime sector to the Quality Council of Trade Occupations, being taken through a summary of the process by SAMSA’s Centre for Maritime Excellence Snr Manager, Curriculum Development, Mr Edward Pines at a function in Cape Town on Tuesday.

The TETA on the other hand, established in 2000 in terms of the Skills Development Act (1998) fulfills the role of a quality assurer consistent with the country’s Skills Development Framework in eight subsectors of the transport sector that include Aerospace, Forwarding & Clearing, Freight Handling, Maritime, Rail, Road Freight, Road Passenger and Taxi Sub Sectors.

Essentially, the qualifications curriculum development team for the set of maritime national occupation qualifications comprised qualification development facilitators, learner qualification development facilitators, a team of Community Expert Practitioners as well as representatives of the respective organizations.

img_3794-2 — Quality Council for Trade Occupations (QTCO) senior executive, Mr Mandlenkosi Ndukula

At Tuesday’s handover function, representing the QCTO and TETA – the latter a project funder and development quality facilitator – were several senior officials among them, Mr Mandlenkosi Ndukula and Mr Victor Muhlberg respectively.

Both described the process of development of the eight national qualifications, in record time, as an important milestone in the national effort for reorganization and further development of education and skills in the country’s maritime economic sector.

Mr Ndukula praised SAMSA for spearheading the process and for remaining involved in gallant efforts to ensure that the maritime sector’s education and skills development expanded exponentially also to the Higher Education and Training band in which Technical Education and Vocational Training (TEVT) colleges operate.

“The expansion of maritime education and training to this TVET sector will, without doubt, have positive impact in the upskilling of people,” he said.

[For Mr Ndukula’s remarks, Click Here]

Mr Victor Muhlberg, executive manager at TETA

Mr Muhlberg who said he’d worked closely with SAMSA for a number of years, described the process as indicative of the huge process to be achieved when there was greater collaboration among stakeholders.

He said the latest batch of eight qualifications had brought to 13 the total number of maritime sector full qualifications developed recently in addition to about 16 part-qualifications.

“We were signing off today the second batch of qualifications to the QCTO and from whom they will be taken over to the SAQA for registration in the National Qualifications Framework. It is a very big achievement and we are very proud of what we have done here,’ said Mr Muhlberg

For his full remarks: Click Here

Ms Yolandi Raath-Booyens, Project Manager and Qualifications Development Facilitator for the maritime sector national occupational qualifications curriculum

Also full of praise for the high level of cooperation experienced by the qualifications curriculum development team and which greatly contributed to process speed, was Yolandi Raath-Booyens, a project manager and qualifications development facilitator.

She described the experience as ‘inspiring.’

She said the developed set of qualifications would benefit not just the maritime and marine transport subsector but also the country’s fishing subsector. This was in reference to the Commercial Diver qualification in three stages, Class 4 30m SCUBA Commercial Diver, Class 3 30m SSDE Commercial Diver, and Class 2 50m Air-Diver.

For her full remarks; Click Here

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Tag: skills and development

Day of the Seafarer 2024: SA maritime sector pays tribute to 11 SA fishermen lost at sea in May.

National maritime sector skills development gathers speed

The reorganization and further development of South Africa’s maritime sector education and training now formally in its sixth year continues to gain impetus.