CAREERS IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY

The maritime industry is associated with activities on all vessels used at sea and associated landbased services. Routes include oceans, coasts, seas, lakes, rivers and channels.

The maritime field offers a wide choice of career opportunities, many of which are international by nature.

Career opportunities within South Africa’s maritime sector include, but are not limited to:

• Marine and ship engineers – involved with the maintenance of the engine of a ship; responsible for all engineering related needs of a ship. The Cape Peninsula University of Technology and The Durban Institute of Technology offer all required marine engineering subjects at a tertiary level.

• Crewmember – career can progress from a deck officer to Captain.

• Deck officers – required to navigate the ship safely and efficiently.

• Maritime Law – maritime and fisheries lawyers are concerned with the branch of law that governs international maritime zones and maritime resources. The international law of the sea and the network of conventions that governs navigation, fishing, seabed mining, naval warfare and marine pollution are within the sphere of interest of maritime lawyers.

• Tug Masters – Captains of tugs are responsible for ships towing other vessels/barges when they are in trouble at sea. They also give guidance to salvage (rescue) work.

• Marine Pilots – guide ships when entering the harbour/port, as the Master of the ship may not be well versed with the geography of the port.

• Harbour Masters – responsible for the overall control of the port activities including lighthouses, vessel trafficking systems, etc.

• Ship surveyors – conduct inspections and surveys of vessels, checking the safety standards and condition of equipment. They carry out these surveys for government organizations such as SAMSA and the DoT Agency, as well as for classification societies, cargo owners or underwriters (insurance companies).

* Maritime environmentalist (sea pollution) – are involved in the management of the environment. Marine biologist and oceanographers look at the prevention of oil spills from ships, check for engine leaks and how they can be prevented. They endeavour to combat pollution through clean-ups and deciding what dispersants could be used and which species are highly vulnerable. They also do risk assessments, especially for blast water management. They could also do testing and approval of treatment systems and ensure the availability of reception facilities.

Various learnerships are available through the Transport SETA (TETA), while academic studies are offered through various centres of development.

For further information on career opportunities within South Africa’s maritime sector, visit the South African Maritime Authority (SAMA) website at www.samsa.org.za

(Source: https:// www.samsa.org.za/ opportunities/maritime-industry-careers)