Keel-laying ceremony for naval patrol vessel

THE construction of the first of three multi-mission inshore patrol vessels, which will help protect the country from threats such as trafficking, illegal fishing and piracy, was celebrated at the weekend with a keel-laying ceremony.

Hosted by the Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT), these vessels will form part of the South African Navy’s Project Biro and also support job creation and enterprise development.

DSCT director Sam Montsi said the project was being built and delivered according to the agreed specifications and within the timelines and budgets.

“We are also supporting and facilitating opportunities for local businesses and have selected equipment and service suppliers that have 51% black ownership or are owned by black military veterans. We will be working with these small, medium and micro enterprises to improve their performance, which will lead to improvements in their product or service offering, business processes, lead times and delivery,” he said.

The keel-laying ceremony is a maritime tradition that dates back to the times of wooden ships and is said to bring luck to the ship during construction and to the captain and crew during the vessel’s later life.

The coin laid at the DSCT event was a commemorative medal made in honour of former president Nelson Mandela’s 1993 Nobel Peace Prize and it was placed under the keel by Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula.

Mapisa-Nqakula said that these vessels will be the work horses of the SA Navy, reducing the load of the navy’s existing fleet of frigates.

“While the prevalence of piracy has somewhat declined, the extent of maritime crime observed – including trafficking, illegal fishing and smuggling – has been on the increase, indicating that the maritime domain lacks law enforcement.

“With the building of the patrol vessels, we are demonstrating that we are truly an industrial powerhouse, highlighting that the SA defence industry has the requisite capabilities and capacity, and that government spending has a positive socio-economic spin-off on our society at large,” she said.

The first vessel is due to be completed by early 2021 and is set to start serving from June of that year.

The second and third vessels are scheduled for delivery in 2022 and 2023.