BEE shipping company orders R300m vessel

Marine Bulk Carriers (MBC), the Cape Town-based black empowerment shipping company, has placed a R300-million order for a new anchor handling tug and supply vessel purpose-built for South African conditions.
“This vessel acquisition marks the start of the MBC’s dream to expand our business activities from vessel management into vessel ownership and supports the call made by South Africa’s Minister of Transport, Ben Martins, and the CEO of the SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa), Commander Tsietsi Mokhele, for South African companies to start investing in vessels for the local market,” MBC chairman Lester Peteni said.
MBC plans to register and flag the sophisticated 12 000 horsepower anchor handling tug and supply vessel in South Africa, according to Peteni. The 78m vessel - which is being built by Guangxin Shipbuilding of Guangdon in China - has been designed to meet the requirements of the local off-shore industry in terms of power, deck space and winch capacity.
MBC co-operated closely with overseas advisers with regard to the technical specifications and negotiations with the shipyard.
“The demand for anchor handling tugs around Southern Africa - in particular South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique - is increasing,” Peteni said.
“For example, PetroSA currently operates six foreign-owned tugs off Mossel Bay and the growth in the market is something MBC hopes to exploit through local ownership and crewing.”
MBC’s sister company, Marine Crew Services (MCS), will man the vessel with local officers and ratings and also provide training berths for cadets and ratings.
For MBC directors Robert Knutzen and Jan Rabie, both of whom have been in shipping for over 30 years, MBC’s move into vessel owning is a special and “highly satisfying moment” and represents a “huge leap of faith and investment in the South African maritime industry.” Both directors have played a key role in building MBC/MCS from a small private company to its current status as vessel owner.
Says Rabie: “MBC has taken the South African government, which has expressed its commitment to rebuilding the local merchant marine, at its word and it’s now a matter of seeing whether visions can become a reality and whether South African customers are willing to support local owners and operators.
“Key to the success of this project is whether the necessary South African maritime legislation, flagging and support from the South African customer base will be realised by the time the vessel is delivered in 2015.”