After several quiet years during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, naval visitors to South Africa are increasing in numbers, with military vessels from France, the UK, China, Russia, India, and Japan amongst those stopping in South Africa in recent years.
The latest visitor was the German Navy frigate FGS Baden-Wurttemberg, which in mid-November called in Cape Town as it returned from an Indo-Pacific deployment. The vessel took the long way home around the Cape as it avoided the Red Sea and potential Houthi attack.
Other naval visitors to South Africa in the 2024/25 financial year are, according to Defence and Military Veterans Minister Angie Motshekga, the roll-on/roll-off UK sealift vessel Anvil Point; France’s L’Astrolabe polar patrol vessel, the Chinese frigate CNS Xuchang, the Japanese training vessels JS Kashima and JS shimakaze, the Chinese space tracking ship Yuan Wang 7, the Chinese hospital ship Peace Ark, the Russian training vessel Smolny, and the UK’s landing helicopter dock RFA Argus and sealift ship Hurst Point.
Replying to a parliamentary question posed by the Democratic Alliance’s Chris Hattingh, Motshekga explained that 2023/24 naval visitors came from Portugal (patrol vessel NRP Setubal and submarine NRP Arpao), China (space tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5, destroyer Nanning, frigate Sanya, and logistics ship Wei Shan Hu), India (frigate INS Trishul and offshore patrol vessel INS Sunayna), and France (frigates Floreal and Nivose).
The Department of Defence’s 2022/23 financial year was similarly busy, with some unusual visitors, such as the Norwegian sail training vessel Statsraad Lehmkuhl paying a visit, along with the Iranian Navy’s logistic ship IRIS Makran and frigate IRIS Dena. India also brought a sailing vessel to South Africa, the INSV Tarini.
France was most active in the 2022/23 year, with numerous naval vessels stopping in South African ports. These included the frigates Nivose and Courbet, amphibious assault ship Mistral, polar patrol vessel L’Astrolabe, offshore patrol vessel Le Malin, and landing ship Champlain. Other visitors included the Nigerian landing ship NNS Kada; the US expeditionary mobile base USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams; the Indian frigate INS Tarkash; the Chinese frigate Rizhao; the Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov, and the Chinese space tracking vessel Yuan Wang 5.
The Covid-19 year of 2020/21 were much quieter, with just the Chinese space tracking ship Yuan Wang 6, USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams, and Floreal visiting. 2021/22 saw the USS Hershel ‘Woody’ Williams return, along with the French landing ship Champlain and frigate Floreal.
Motshekga noted that whenever foreign naval vessels visit a South African port the South African Navy endeavours to do a passage exercise (passex) with the vessel. “The exercise is informal and focuses on communication exercises and simple officer of the watch manoeuvres.”
Regarding multinational exercises, the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to any in 2020/21 and 2021/22, but things picked up the following year when South Africa hosted Exercise Shared Accord with the United States (July 2022), Ibsamar VII with Brazil and India (October 2022), and Oxide with France (November 2022). Exercise Mosi II was held in February/March 2023 with Russia and China, and was followed by Exercise Good Hope VIII in January/February 2024 with Germany, and Ibsamar VIII with Brazil and India in October.
The latter saw the participation of the Brazilian Navy’s Niteroi-class frigate BNS Defensora, equipped with a Super Lynx helicopter and a Special Forces team, and India participating with the frigate INS Talwar, its onboard Ka-31 airborne early warning helicopter and an Indian Special Forces team.
