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The 31-long-metre vessels are among the world’s
BUILDING THE AFRICAN MARINE
largest and most powerful harbour tugs and are
LEGACY! destined for the various South African ports where
Boasting the enviable reputation of being the largest they will be able to efficiently manoeuvre and safely
shipyard in southern Africa as well as still holding pull the bigger ships that are now entering South
the record for building the largest ship ever built on African waters.
the African continent, Sandock Austral Shipyards is The work of Sandock Austral Shipyards has
a proudly African company. The shipyards provides helped to cement the marine ship building and
a complete in house marine solutions through support industry locally and has also ensured
its shipbuilding, ship repair, naval maintenance, that the benefits are spread to local, empowered
mechanical & fabrication and oil & gas departments. companies. This contract has been about creating
Its holding company is SanDock Austral (SDA), jobs, developing technical skills, training artisans
which specialises in the aerospace, marine and and developing engineers for the wellbeing of
defence industries. future generations.
Sandock Austral Shipyards has made major leaps Another aspect has been training maritime
and bounds towards employing the concept of personnel through a grassroots development Marine
the collaborative economy in the execution of Incubator Programme. A partnership has been
its shipbuilding and ship repair projects. This nurtured with the eThekwini Maritime Cluster (EMC)
consolidated effort, the company terms “Team South as well as the Department of Environmental Affairs
Africa”, and is integral to the success of the firm’s to provide employment for graduates through
most recent multi-billion Project Hotel. The multi- the organisational spheres and expose them to all
billion rand contract to build a Hydrographic Survey aspects of operating a maritime focused company
Vessel (HSV) for the South African Navy represents with international reach in a South African context.
one of the most complex projects to be undertaken Sandock Austral Shipyards has also recognised the
in the African continent in recent years. The vessel growing gap in the market to service the fishing
will replace the Navy’s SAS Protea, which has been industry and is on a drive to net this business.
in service for 45 years. Sandock Austral Shipyards
was judged the worthy winner of the world-class Maharaj said that, ultimately, the shipbuilding and
and sought-after tender, which will further establish repairing sector needed to develop new products
the company as a shipbuilder of note. and services that responded to the challenges of the
Fourth Industrial Revolution and climate change.
Consequently work is guaranteed for the Sandock
Austral Shipyards workforce and sub-contractors “Investment was needed into modern and
for at least three years which will once again provide more efficient production and manufacturing
a boost to the local economy. Prasheen Maharaj, equipment, in new products and services through
the chief executive of Sandock Austral Shipyards, research, development and innovation, into skills
says, “We feel very privileged and honoured to be development in order to increase efficiency of
entrusted with such a large, multi-year complex labour and into technology platforms in order
project. It demonstrates a firm confidence in and to reduce dependency on expensive overseas
commitment to South Africa’s technological and technology,” he concluded.
industrial expertise.
The shipyard, in its role of “Prime Contractor or a
Primary Systems Integrator” partnered on a turnkey
risk sharing basis with a number of South African
and international companies who are specialists in
the areas that make up the complex systems and
sub-systems that constitutes an HSV.
Sandock Austral Shipyards has recently completed
the delivery of nine tugs to Transnet National Ports
Authorities (TNPA). This contract was the largest
single contract that the parastatal has ever awarded
to a South African company for the building of
harbour craft.

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