Come Friday 25 April, the coastal patrol fleet renewal programme of the SA Navy (SAN) will be complete with the commissioning of SAS Adam Kok III (P1573) at Naval Base (NB) Durban.
She joins sister multi-mission inshore patrol vessels (MMIPVs) SAS King Sekhukhune I (P1571) and SAS King Shaka Zulu (P1572) as the Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) builds in the SAN patrol squadron.
Friday’s event is billed as the official naming and commissioning ceremony for SAS Adam Kok III, named after the founder of the Griqua nation with the approval of the Royal Griqua House.
Her commissioning, according to SAN Public Relations, is a key milestone in expanding South Africa’s maritime security capabilities and operational reach. Designed for multi-role operations, the MMIPVs bolster SAN abilities to safeguard national waters, enforce maritime law and deter threats such as piracy, smuggling as well as illegal unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing along South Africa’s just short of 2 800 km coastline.
The commissioning of P1573 marks the end of a DSCT 2018 contract to deliver three MMIPVs. When the keel of Sekhukhune was laid in February 2021, then Defence and Military Veterans Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula was on hand to perform the honour, one of four traditionally associated with shipbuilding. The others are christening or launching; commissioning; and decommissioning.
In line with the MMIPV ships’ names collectively they are the Warrior Class, taking the class name from their forerunners, the last two strike craft based on an Israeli design and acquired by the SAN with three built in Israel and three at Sandock Austral Shipyards, Durban. Post democracy the strike craft flotilla was cut to three – SAS Isaac Dyobha (P1565), SAS Galeshewe (P1567) and SAS Makhanda (P1569) – and refurbished as offshore patrol vessels. Makhanda is the last of type and is scheduled for decommissioning, with that date not yet made public.
Despite being commissioned some time ago – Sekhukhune in June 2022 and King Shaka in October 2023 – both are still undergoing operational testing and evaluation (OTE) according to SAN Chief, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese writing in the official SAN publication, Navy News.
Naval enthusiasts and some serving personnel have – not in jest – rechristened the MMIPV class as “Kings” to mark the royal names the 750 ton ships carry.
The three DSCT platforms, built in terms of Project Biro, are to the Stan Patrol 6211 design. The 62 m long vessels have a 20 knot economical speed and a range of 2 000 nautical miles. Each vessel is fitted with a Reutech 20 mm Super Sea Rogue marine gun and Reutech FORT (frequency modulated optical radar tracker) low probability of intercept (LPI) optronics radar tracking system. All carry nine and seven metre RHIBs (rigid hull inflatable boats) for boarding and other operations.
