Richards Bay port finally gets its wings

AFTER A delay of nearly
two years, the pilot service
helicopter at the port of
Richards Bay has finally
been replaced with a new
R40 million aircraft, an Agusta
A109 similar to the previous
machine.
The cost excludes that of
running the aircraft.
The previous helicopter in
service at Richards Bay crashed
two years ago while lifting a
marine pilot from a ship sailing
from the harbour, causing the
death of the winchman and
severely injuring the marine
pilot. The Agusta was later
recovered but declared a total
wreck and the port has since
been forced to resort to using
the time-honoured method of
a pilot boat.
Transnet has come under
strong criticism for the
time taken to replace the
helicopter, but according to
the TNPA one of the options
following the crash was to
locate a ‘fit for purpose’
helicopter which could be
made available in a lead time
less than the usual 12 to 14
months for a new machine.
Despite a few proposals
being made by aircraft
suppliers, none of these met
the TNPA helicopter service
requirements.
The other option of
finding a chopper to hire was
abandoned because of the
customised nature of the pilot
transfer aircraft.
“The interim measure
of using the pilot-boat to
transfer the marine pilots
has attracted a lot of
criticism from the clients,
who have benefited from the
efficiencies and effectiveness
of the helicopter service
since inception ten years ago.
The clients demanded the
restoration of the helicopter
services at our earliest
convenience,” said a port
spokesperson.