Author Archives: Natalie Janse

Weekly Press Review – 12 February 2016

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The SA Agulhas II has made headlines this week with its return to South African waters.

The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) welcomed back the research team, consisting of international scientists and members of the CSIR, after their latest three-month research mission to Antarctica.

DEA spokesperson, Zolile Nqayi, said, “The teams who participate in the research are different each time, conducting different types of research.  Gough Islands, in the South Atlantic Ocean, will be the next expedition with weather-related research.  It is scheduled for March.”

The announcement by Minister of Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, that 22 new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are in the pipeline along the South African coastline also made headlines this week.

The proposed area covers a massive 70,000 km² and if all 22 of the proposed areas are declared Marine Protected Areas, the result will be that just over five percent of South Africa’s ocean will be protected, a vast improvement on the 0.5 percent of marine ecosystems that are presently protected by existing MRAs.

The aim behind these protected areas is to promote biodiversity, restore fishing balances, promote tourism and serve as areas to support scientific research.

Weekly Press Review – 5 February 2016

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Two separate yachting tragedies have seen the safety of working sailors and tourists alike being called into question this week.  The disappearance of three sailors who went missing during a routine delivery of a luxury yacht (a year ago), as well as the death of two Irish tourists whose yacht ran aground near Melkbos have both made headlines this week.

Families of the missing sailors have called for an inquest after an upturned catamaran was sighted, but attempts to tow it into harbour failed and the hull was eventually lost at sea near Port Elizabeth.  The families want to establish fairer practices and enforced compliance with the legislation with the aim of ensuring increased safety for sailors.

In the grounding incident the death of two Irish tourists has led to an investigation into how this yacht ran aground and whether it had already capsized by the time it ran aground.

SAMSA has had surveyors on the scene and the cause of the accident is under investigation.

The continued decimation of South Africa’s abalone has also made headlines this week.  According to the press we are losing the war on abalone poaching.  It is estimated that in 2014 a massive 7 million were poached at a cost of R1 billion.

These figures were presented at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) Abalone Indaba held in Cape Town this week.

DAFF chief director Ceba Mtoba said, “It is time to shift gears.  Poaching has become the norm.”

Fisheries Management deputy director-general Siphokazi Ndudane said that the Marine Living Resources Act would be reviewed.

“The act is old.  It has no mention of poaching. Poaching has been overlapping under our watch over the years because of its ineffectiveness.  The act is no longer applicable.

“This indaba will form part of our paperwork to be presented to the president when amending the act,” said Ndudane.

Weekly Press Review – 29 January 2016

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The majestic Queen Elizabeth berthed in Cape Town harbour this week.  According to the press the vessel, Commanded by Commodore Christopher Rynd, will sail more than 36,000 nautical miles and visit 42 ports in 25 countries during her 120-day world cruise.  She has now sailed on to Port Elizabeth, but Cape Town is expecting a visit from her sister ship, Queen Victoria, later this year.

The vessel’s overnight stay in Cape Town obviously offered a great opportunity for local tourism.  Local travel agency owner, Shaun McCarthy said, “We are delighted to welcome Cunard’s youngest member of the fleet.”

Weekly Press Review – 22 January 2016

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Making headlines this week was the news that a fishing trawler and a bulk carrier had somehow managed to collide off the coast at Cape Point.

Luckily no lives were lost when the 20m, 154 ton Viking Fishing Company fishing trawler Lezandi and the 200m, 36,333 ton bulk carrier the Sunrise Jade collided in thick fog.  The Sunrise Jade was on its way from St Petersburg to Saldanha Bay.

The collision resulted in the Lezandi taking on water and the 14 man crew were forced to abandon ship. They were rescued from the water by crew members from the FV Freesia and delivered to the shore.  The NSRI also responded to the incident. Only one crew member was injured and taken to Cape Town Mediclinic.  No damage was done to the Sunrise Jade.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) issued a safety warning immediately after the incident as the semi-submerged trawler posed a hazard to sea traffic in the area.

This is the second incident to rock Viking Fishing.  In September last year the MFV Lincoln capsized near Hangklip in bad weather and nine fishermen lost their lives.

Also making headlines this week is the launch of an exciting new plan to clear the large amount of plastic rubbish in our oceans.

An estimated 8 million tons of plastic debris is washed into our oceans each year.  This plastic is broken down into smaller microplastics that are ultimately ingested by many sea creatures and poses an enormous threat to marine ecosystems.

Scientists have been working on solutions to the problem and there is already an ambitious plan in place to use inflatable booms aligned across sea currents to gather waste in a large rubbish patch in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

New research carried out at the Imperial College London suggests however that this plan will be more effective if carried out nearer densely populated coasts, specifically off China and Indonesia, where large amounts of plastics enter the ocean.  The model suggests that the project would be 14 percent more effective at the new location.

“It makes more sense to remove plastics where they first enter the ocean around coastal economic and population centres,” said Erik van Sebille of Imperial College.

Weekly Press Review – 15 January 2016

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As South Africa experiences devastating droughts across many parts of the country, food shortages become the new reality.   According to the press this week, our ports are sadly ill-prepared to handle the massive agricultural imports that loom for the year ahead.

Grain South Africa (GSA) estimates that up to 5 million tons of maize will be imported over the period May 2016 to April 2017, as well as up to 2 million tons of wheat.

With these figures in mind, Transnet Port Terminals Agricultural Bulk operations had a total of just 4 million tons of capacity available across all seven of its local ports over the last year.

Another factor influencing the logistics is that Zimbabwe will also be importing maize during that period, most likely requiring the services of South African ports.

Transnet is apparently in the process of preparing for this influx.  Transnet spokesperson Mboniso Sigonyela said, “Some of the initiatives include adapting and improving our handling methods, focusing on efficiencies, as well as storage facilities.  We are confident that we will meet the demand on both rail and ports, should the need arise.”

Press review – December 2015

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With 2016 now officially upon us I spent the morning wading through some of the news headlines of the closing weeks of 2015.  To be honest there was very little good news.

Droughts continue to wreak havoc on our agricultural sector with little relief in sight as soaring temperatures prevail and the chances of rain are minimal.

The NSRI had their hands full over the festive season trying to keep members of the public safe on the beaches and in the water. Yet again too many holiday makers lost their lives in our oceans during the holiday season.

More arrests were made in connection with perlemoen poaching along the Western Cape coastline with an estimated R3 million worth of perlemoen being confiscated and the story of the Seli 1 which ran aground in Table Bay in September 2009 has still not come to an end with the vessel now discharging lumps of coal along the beach at Blouberg.

With all this negativity constantly surrounding us it is hard to start the year with a positive spirit.  One can only hope that as an industry members of the maritime sector can work together to focus on areas where changes can be made and move towards a prosperous and positive 2016.

Weekly Press Review – 15 December 2015

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According to the press, Plettenberg Bay attorney Perino Pama has described the decision to allow anglers to fish in the Tsitsikamma National Marine Protected Area as procedurally unfair and in contravention of the right to just administrative action.

Pama is representing Ocean Research Conservation Africa, a local conservation group, in response to the decision by SANParks and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa to allow local residents to fish in the marine park.

“There is no reason why the public participation process should be pre-empted, and effectively nullified, by starting a ‘pilot project’ before the public participation process has been completed,” said Pama.

Pama added that it was clear the draft regulations were to allow for recreational fishing, not subsistence fishing, as anglers had to be in possession of a valid recreational angling permit.

In response, Environmental Affairs spokesman Zolile Nqayi has agreed that there would be an impact on fish stocks in the marine park if fishing were allowed and catch-rates would decrease, but measures had been put in place to reduce these impacts.

Plans are underway to establish a phosphate mining operation in Namibia.  The press this week made mention of the Memorandum of Understanding signed by speciality chemicals maker Israel Chemicals (ICL) and holding company Leviev Group, who hold permits and exploration rights to mine phosphate deposits estimated at 1 billion tons.

A feasibility study will now need to be put forward in order to secure the required funding for the project.

With Japan’s research whaling season now in full swing, the New Zealand government is leading a joint diplomatic protest.

According to the press the protest, led by New Zealand’s ambassador to Japan, was designed to urge Japan, as a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC), to respect the commission’s procedures and the advice of its scientific bodies.

New Zealand Prime Minister and Acting Foreign Minister, John Key, said, “We consider that there is no scientific basis for the slaughter of whales and strongly urge the government of Japan not to allow it to go ahead.  We will continue to work to see this outdated practice brought to an end.”

A total of 33 countries have expressed concern about Japan’s continued whaling practice, including:  the USA. Australia, Mexico, the EU member countries and South Africa.

Weekly Press Review – 4 December 2015

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Yet another arrest has been made in connection with abalone poaching.  According to the press a 27-year-old man was found in possession of approximately R2 million worth of abalone after he was pulled over by the K9 Unit who were conducting patrols in the Gordon’s Bay area.

Officials from the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) were on the scene and counted 11,857 units of shucked abalone.

Amid much outcry Japan has resumed its research whaling season.  According to the press Japan aims to catch more than 300 whales as part of a scientific research programme before the end of the hunt next year.

Japan seems to have found a loophole in the whaling moratorium which prohibits the hunting of whales, by labelling the hunts as scientific.  The move has been condemned by both the USA and Australia, as well as various environmental groups worldwide.

According to the press the government has announced that they will allow fishing in parts of the Tsitsikamma Marine Protected Area.  The aim behind the programme is to help rejuvenate heavily exploited fish stocks along the South African coast.

The response to the news has been dramatically polarised.  Local fishermen are delighted.  They claim that they were never consulted when the area was proclaimed a marine protected area and have a historical right to fish there.

Henrico Bruiners, chairman of the Tsitsikamma Angling Forum welcomed the decision saying that it is done from a humanitarian point of view, otherwise people have to travel up to 60km in order to fish.

Marine scientists, however, feel that the decision by the Department of Environmental Affairs is a recipe for disaster and will “open up the heart of a protected area to exploitation.”

UCT marine scientist Colin Attwood said that this kind of proposal completely negated the point of having a marine protected area.

SANParks spokesperson, Nandi Mgwadlamba has invited public comment, but in the meantime fishing will commence in the area on December, 15 as a pilot project.

Weekly Press Review – 27 November 2015

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Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Senzeni Zokwana, attended a World Fisheries Day celebration in Humansdorp in the Eastern Cape this week.  According to the press, the minister said that fishing communities needed to be the custodians of the protection of marine resources.

The celebrations served to highlight the importance of maintaining the world’s fisheries, as fish is an important source of food for many worldwide. One in five people depend on fish as their primary food source.

With the holiday season just around the corner, South African harbours are preparing for a busy tourist season. TNPA Chief Executive Richard Vallihu was quoted in the press this week as saying that at least eight pleasure boats and 10 passenger ships are expected to bring tens of thousands of both international and local tourists to South African harbours over the next few months.

Some of the vessels scheduled to visit our shores include:

  • Nautica – Ocean Cruises
  • Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Voyager – Regent seven Seas Cruises
  • MS Astor – Transocean Tours
  • MS Marina and Insignia – Oceania Cruises
  • Silver Cloud – Silversea Cruises, and
  • Europa 2 – Hapag-Lloyd Cruises

Also making headlines this week is the arrival of the Meteoro in Table Bay.  The vessel is one of the world’s most advanced offshore patrol vessels and has recently spent four months in the Gulf of Aden fighting piracy off the Somalian coast.

The deployment of the Meteoro forms part of the Spanish government’s commitment to Operation Atlanta, the EU’s counter-piracy mission started in 2008.

The vessel will host several official engagements during her stay in the Cape.

Weekly Press Review – 20 November 2015

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I&J has made headlines this week with the launch of two new vessels to be added to their fishing fleet.  The Ferox and the Umlodi will form part of the company’s R500 million investment in the fishing industry. The two new vessels will be replacing older vessels in the fleet and will provide 75 new jobs within the industry.

The rescue of 32 baby penguins from Dyer Island off Gansbaai has been in the news this week.

At this time of year the parents of several young chicks undergo their annual moulting season.  During this phase the birds do not go out to sea.  This means that they are unable to supply their young with food and the baby birds face starvation.

Under usual circumstances nature conservationists would allow nature to take its course, but due to the drastically depleting penguin numbers, intervention is essential.

Cape Nature and the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary have therefore stepped in and removed the 32 young birds from the island.  They have been taken to a rehabilitation centre in Kleinbaai where they will be fed and cared for until they are able to fend for themselves, at which point they will be released.

Cape Natures’s conservation manager, Deon Geldenhuys said, “If it were not for the efforts of the chick bolstering project, these abandoned chicks would starve to death.”

This weekend Capetonians will have the opportunity to board a traditional Hawaiin sail boat which is docked at the V&A waterfront.

According to the press the Hokule has been docked in Cape Town for the past week and this weekend is the final opportunity for interested Capetonians to board the vessel and found out how this historical vessel is piloted using only the ocean currents and the stars.

A Ceremony of Friendship with traditional Hawaiin singing and dancing took place in Cape Town last week.