The men and women charged with keeping the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) focussed and on track met in Durban last week for the year’s second chief of the national defence force strategic work planning session which included a visit to the shipyard where the SA Navy’s new hydrographic ship is being built.
Present at the session were the four service chiefs – Lieutenant General Wiseman Mbambo (SA Air Force), Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha (SA Army), Lieutenant General Peter Maphaha (SA Military Health Service) and (SA Navy) Vice Admiral Monde Lobese – alongside other Military Command Council (MCC) members including division and service planners.
SANDF Chief General Rudzani Maphwanya is reported as saying the “Journey to Greatness” vision he introduced when taking over from Solly Shoke in June three years ago is “steadily becoming reality”. This progress is thanks to “significant strides from the collective efforts of planners and leadership towards this ambitious goal”.
Session delegates took time off their agenda to call on Sandock Austral Shipyards (SAS) in the KwaZulu-Natal port city where the new SA Navy (SAN) hydrographic ship is taking shape. They, Defence Corporate Communication (DCC)/SA Soldier magazine reported, toured “around the construction site of the new vessel, gaining insight into its progress and future capabilities”.
Delivery of the replacement hydrographic survey vessel (HSV) for the long-serving SAS Protea (A324) has been delayed by disruption to global and local supply chains brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, including social distancing. Unrest and looting in KwaZulu-Natal during 2021 and subsequent floods in 2022 exacerbated the delay, pushing the initial delivery date from September 2022 to January 2024. Photographs taken during last week’s SAS site visit show the SAS Nelson Mandela (A187) still has a way to go before launch for operational testing and evaluation (OT&E).
Sandock Austral Shipyards told defenceWeb that, “Despite the delays which are all force majeure events, the project will be completed and the South African Navy will take delivery of one of the largest most sophisticated Hydrographic Survey Vessels in the world. This will put Sandock Austral on the global map as one of the most competent shipyards in the world.”
SAS Nelson Mandela, based on Canadian/Norwegian company Vard Marine’s VARD 9 105 design, will be a significant leap forward in South Africa’s ability to map its seabed and surrounding waters. The 95-meter long vessel boasts a strengthened bow for operations in the Southern Ocean, a 10 000 nautical mile range and an 18-knot top speed. The South African version includes customized features like a helicopter hangar to enhance its operational versatility.
The vessel’s advanced survey equipment includes multi and single beam echo-sounders as well as side-scan sonar and a seabed sampler to recover material from the seafloor and underlying sub-strata for detailed analytical and testing purposes.
Project Hotel encompasses more than just the main vessel. The programme also includes acquiring smaller survey motorboats, a sea boat and crucial upgrades to the SAN’s hydrographic office infrastructure.
Survey Motor Boat (SMB) 1 has been handed over and SMB2 and SMB3 are currently placed in preservation at the Naval Dockyard, ready to be delivered with the main vessel. Sea Acceptance Trials of the Sea Boat is also complete and been placed into preservation.
The upgrade to the shore-based South African National Hydrographic Office (SANHO) is 100% complete.
