Local cadets get their sea legs
THE SA Agulhas research vessel left the Cape Town port yesterday, carrying a record 48 trainees, who will tag along to measure radio signal strengths along SA’s coast.
The two-week voyage along the West and East coasts is done in partnership with SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa), Telkom and the Department of Transport, which will complete the task of testing the beacons on the coastline while the cadets’ training is completed.
“Without time at sea the cadets cannot graduate and it is very hard for cadets to get berths on ships or boats, so this is an important Maritime Youth Development and employment initiative for both Samsa, its partners in the maritime sector and the country,” said Samsa chief operations officer Sobantu Tilayi.
Samsa operations manager Roland Shortt said: “We’re going to give them the opportunity to become more marketable and assist with their oral examination to complete their maritime qualification.”
The SA Agulhas is due to return from its 2 850 nautical mile coastal voyage on October 30. The ship was used to service SA’s three National Antarctic Programme research bases, as well as research voyages before she was retired from service in April 2012 and transferred to Samsa as a training ship.
The ship now allows trainees the opportunity to gain valuable sea experience needed to complete their Samsa Youth National Cadetship Programme.