Damen Shipyards Cape Town opens its doors for a Dredging Seminar and Demonstration

On Thursday, 23 November 2017, DAMEN Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) welcomed over 50 invitees from across the Southern African dredging sector to its yard in the Port of Cape Town for a one-day seminar on dredging. The guest list included representatives from a wide range of companies with an interest in dredging; encompassing those that supply dredging services, those that employ dredging services, and various government agencies, DAMEN said in its press release.

The DAMEN Shipyards Group is a leader in the design and build of both dredging vessels and the equipment they use to extract and relocate sediment. DAMEN dredgers can be found in operation all over the world, and the group has particular expertise is the design of modular dredgers that can be delivered in a series of containers and transported by road to remote inland locations, where they can then be assembled and put to work.

The programme ran from 9am to 4pm and included a presentation, lunch and a demonstration of a DOP dredge pump. There were also Q&A sessions at various intervals to ensure that any queries were swiftly answered.

The opening address was delivered by Sefale Montsi, a Non-Executive Director and board member of DSCT, and Benny Bhali, Sales and Marketing Executive at DSCT. Andrew Mukandila from the Department of Trade and Industry, Ms Bonnie Horbach, Consul General, Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Riyaadh Kara from the Department of Public Works, then each spoke to the assembled delegates.

Also present at the event was a delegation from the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA). The agency is responsible for the implementation of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, which involves the construction of a number of dams and reservoirs, and its representatives welcomed the opportunity to meet with participants in the dredging industry and discuss its future requirements.

These were then followed by a series of presentations covering techniques, technology and current issues involving maintenance dredging (Arthro Petersen, TNPA Dredging) and capital dredging (Selvan Pillay, TNPA Dredging), dredging equipment (Olivier Marcus, DAMEN Dredging Equipment)  and dredging services (Tom Steenman, DAMEN Services).

After lunch, the guests had the opportunity to see a DAMEN DOP 150 Submersible Dredge Pump in action from a mounting on the quay wall. This was made possible by the cooperation of James Tucker and his team from T&T Marine, Southern Africa’s leading dredging and marine contractor.
 
“It was a great success,” commented Sefale Montsi, “and we were delighted by the large number of guests who accepted our invitations. The South African Government through the Department of Trade and Industry has been very supportive of the event, sharing our goal of developing a sustainable dredging industry in the region by raising awareness of the value that it can deliver to our maritime sector and promoting dialogue among all the relevant stakeholders. Our event gave invitees the opportunity to listen to expert guest speakers discussing the future of the dredging industry in the region.
 
“We also received much positive feedback from our guests, who appreciated this chance to expand their knowledge of the current status of dredging in Southern Africa, and of the challenges and opportunities that are available to them. It also allowed us at DSCT to demonstrate how we can assist and support this growing industry.”

Andrew Mukandila, Deputy Director of Industrial Policy at the Department of Trade & Industry, added: “The seminar on the dredging industry in Southern Africa was an eye opener on the potential that the industry has in terms of growth, job creation and skills development mainly for young people. We are of the view that, if given an opportunity on the local market, the industry will greatly develop, attract investments in equipment manufacturing, and build market confidence and competitiveness in the Sub-Saharan Africa region.”

Due to the positive response to the seminar from the industry, DSCT is now considering making the seminar an annual event.

About DAMEN Shipyards Cape Town (Pty) Ltd:

Building in Africa for Africa
Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) builds ships in Africa for Africa. To date, the yard has constructed & delivered 40 vessels to the African continent form its base in Cape Town, including offshore patrol vessels, dredgers, tugs, naval craft and platform supply vessels, some of which have been built for stock in order to ensure fast delivery. The DSCT Services & Repairs department has provided training, delivery, maintenance & repairs assistance to countries across the globe and especially to African countries seeking to source high quality services from South Africa.

Through thorough research, on-going evaluations and customer feedback, DSCT’s vessels are of the highest international quality standards and provide customers with the assurance of generations of proven high-tech commercial off-the-shelf (C.O.T.S) vessels.  

DSCT has a well-established Apprenticeship Training Centre which is accredited by MerSETA and ChietaSETA.  Apprentices selected for the Apprenticeship Training Centre program have the opportunity to obtain the necessary skills in order to achieve artisan status in Welding, Boiler Making, Pipe Fitting or Electrical and they are provided with a job opportunity at the same time. The first, second and third year apprentices are productive on the shop floor under the mentorship of qualified artisans until they pass their Trade Test. Once qualified, all apprentices have the opportunity to be absorbed into the business as artisans.  To date, DSCT has trained 63 Apprentices of which 19 are female.  DSCT’s Apprenticeship Training Centre is the true reflection of the yard’s commitment to the South African Governments economic initiative, known as Operation Phakisa, which aims to reach the potential of the South African Maritime Sector, including shipbuilding, and to accelerate economic growth and job creation.  

Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 33 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 9,000 people worldwide. DAMEN has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 180 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept DAMEN is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, DAMEN vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types DAMEN offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. DAMEN also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of sixteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 drydocks; conventional, floating and covered, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,350 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at the yards as well as in ports and while vessels are at sea.