Keynote Address by the Minister of Transport, Ms Dipuo Peters, MP, on the occasion marking the 10th Anniversary of the Marine Crew Services and the Marine Bulk Carriers 13 November 2013, Cape Town Programme Director The Chairman of the Marine Crew Services/Marine Bulk Carriers, Mr. Lester Peteni The Executive Director, Mr. Jan Rabie The entire Management of MCS/MBC Representatives of Transnet Distinguished Guests Ladies and Gentlemen It is my pleasure and privilege to address you on this occasion marking the 10th Anniversary of the Marine Crew Services and the Marine Bulk Carriers. Today’s 10-year milestone and development is a watershed moment and a landmark development for the South African maritime industry as a sector that plays a crucial role for social and economic development of our country. We salute the Maritime personnel that miss out from family, friends and relatives and social life spending most of their time at sea in their effort to make our country benefit through Maritime’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product of our economy. In today’s global economy, hundreds of millions of people all over the world rely on the maritime industry through ships to transport the great multitude of commodities, fuel, food stuffs, goods and products on which we all depend. Yet for most of them, shipping, not to mention the huge range of related maritime activities that together, go to make up what is loosely termed “shipping industry”, does not register a particularly strong echo on the personal radar. The very nature of shipping makes it something of a complicated background industry. For most people, most of the time, ships are simply “out of sight and out of mind”, and the same as a consequence, can be said of the maritime industry that operate the world’s fleet. The Maritime industry is in effect, the lubricant without which the engine of trade would simply grind to a halt. Ladies and Gentlemen, There is a greater need for collaborative efforts of both the Government and the shipping industry in providing a positive contribution towards formulating sustainable maritime development goals. This, I believe we are, and have been doing, as a nation, and will continue to do with increasing urgency and diligence, if we are to fully realize the potential that the oceans offer us for the continued development and future growth of the world economy. On this occasion, I have found the following quotation by the US congresswoman, Candice S. Miller, to be quite fitting: “Our Great Lakes, harbours, ports, and rivers provide not only vital resources for us to live, but an entire maritime way of life for so many people. The least we can do is protect it, and the way of life it provides for so many”. What then do we refer to when we speak of sustainability in the maritime sector? The IMO has given us some guidance here by way of identifying eight pillars around which sustainable maritime development goals could be set. These are: • safety culture and environmental stewardship; • energy efficiency; • new technology and innovation; • maritime education and training; • maritime security and anti-piracy actions; • maritime traffic management; • maritime infrastructure development; and • global standards at IMO. Distinguished Guests, I implore you to keep these concepts at the front of your minds not only in your interactions with each other, but also going forward in the planning and execution of your business strategies and official duties. Indeed, for the future corps of transport civil servants, the National Development Plan has earmarked the period of 2021 – 2025 as one in which the emphasis will be on increasing maritime transport efficiency. But of course, nothing prevents us from beginning to lay those foundations right now. As Minister of Transport, I realise the critically important role that the maritime sector plays as a gatekeeper, so to speak, of economic growth. From the Transnet crane operators and tugboat pilots, the stevedores who pack the ships with precious cargo, to the global and local companies of freight forwarders, shipping agents, and giant commercial liners, they are all physically responsible for bringing in and shipping out the very blocks upon which we have built the most powerful economy in the history of our continent. But while we may take pride in our commercial accomplishments, we cannot afford ourselves the luxury of complacency, nor succumb to indulging in arrogance. As Government, we are dependent on and accountable to one key group of stakeholders above all others; and that is our shareholders, the taxpaying citizens of South Africa. Through formal platforms that the DOT Maritime branch has established to facilitate consultation between government, government enterprises and agencies, on the one hand, with private industry and labour. On the other, we have managed to identify stumbling blocks and agreed on ways to address these; we have all had the opportunity to engage Transnet on its sweeping capital plans across all commercial ports. We have made strides in increasing port productivity, recruiting additional immigration resources in some ports, getting a foothold into regulating the carriage of dangerous goods more effectively. We have gained insight into the competitiveness of our ports and shipping industry, to name but a few salient matters which many of you have engaged in during Port Consultative Committees previously. Ladies and Gentlemen, The PWC’s Transportation & Logistics CEOs Survey for 2013 paints a rather grim picture of global expectation for our sector – but don’t despair just yet – the same survey gives all of us who are present here today, a welcome ray of hope. The Global PWC Survey shows that transport CEOs are much less optimistic than last year, and they are less confident than their peers in other sectors too. That may be, PWC concludes, because more transportation & logistics CEOs expect the economic outlook to worsen, compared to the overall sample. Ladies and Gentlemen, We have 3 000km coastline in 3 oceans on major strategic shipping routes. We also pride ourselves with our 8 commercial ports. About 95% of South Africa’s total imports and exports trade by volume and 80% by value, is carried by foreign ships employing about 240 000 foreign seafarers. It is a cause for concern that we have no ships on the country’s Register and we are paying over R36 billion for maritime transport services to foreign owners and operators. In comparison with more than 50 000 merchant vessels owned by other countries across the globe, we have none. It is heartening that the MCS/MBC has committed itself to responding to this challenge. Yours is a response to the Government’s call for investment and rebuilding of the SA merchant maritime by placing a R300m order for a new anchor handling tug and supply vessel purpose-built to suite SA conditions. The vessel acquisition process that you are seized with will eventually see the expansion of business activities from vessel management into vessel ownership. Furthermore, it would be a sound investment in vessels for the local market. I am also informed of your plans to register and flag the sophisticated 12 000 horse power anchor handling tug and supply vessel in the country. In the wake of increasing demand for anchor handling tugs within and around Southern Africa, that is a decision that will yield greater returns. While the 78m vessel has been built in China, it has been designed to meet requirements of the local off-shore industry in terms of power, deck space and winch capacity. As Government, we are steadfast in our calls for localisation, in pursuit of the New Growth Path and Industrial Policy Action Plan goals. This is one tenet that stands to reverse the frontiers of poverty, unemployment and inequality as it creates more job opportunities, while stimulating the local economy. This brings me to the important aspect of job creation. It is very important that the MCS/MBC has job creation as a key priority, having the largest number of black South African females serving in the offshore oil and gas industry on deep sea anchor handling tugs. I am also informed that you will be manning vessels with local officers and rating, the provision of training berths for cadets and ratings, and this is further testament of commitment to investing in the local maritime sector, while unlocking job opportunities. A necessary precondition for this to thrive is investment in education, training and skills development. The matter of education and skills development is one of the South African industry’s areas of concern. This concern too is accurately articulated in the African Maritime Charter by calling for the promotion of maritime training and education at all levels, the promotion of seafarers employment, decent working conditions as well as training. Our Government is delivering on this outcome. The Department of Transport’s Maritime Transport branch pioneered its ways into the deepest rural areas of South African hinterland, equipping prospective seafarers with the tools and knowledge to access our state-sponsored maritime training opportunities that, if successfully completed by the candidates, inevitably lead to employment aboard local and international vessels. The strategy employed is two-pronged; one of adopting schools in disadvantaged areas and guiding interested learners towards careers on sea. Another aspect to it is that of staging large career awareness campaigns where thousands of leaders from all walks of life get exposed to the possibilities of various maritime career paths. This year alone, a number of bursaries were awarded to deserving learners to attend seafaring and other maritime education courses. We are also excited about the prospects of adding more maritime education in school curriculum and developing maritime subjects as part of FET college curricula. We have also sent 30 students to pursue Masters and Doctoral studies in the maritime field at the World Maritime University in Sweden. Ladies and Gentlemen, The work that the MBC/MCS does within the SADC region, continentally and internationally, is laudable. Since its inception, the company realised its commitments to assisting seafarers from the African continent by training large numbers of ratings, cadets and artisans for various companies in Angola, Nigeria, Namibia and Ghana. The vessel whose acquisition the MCS/MBC is seized with is from China – a member state of the BRICS bloc. China is one of the world’s top ship owning and operating nations. India having gone on a shopping spree for ships to secure interests to no small measure in the growing shipping trade within the bloc South Africa’s key partners, particularly in the BRICS bloc are regional maritime powers with vast maritime interests and capabilities in sea trade, commerce and naval influence. There lie great lessons and best for South Africa. The Department of Transport’s Maritime Industry Development Directorate has been engaging port users including Transnet in a quarterly round table where our private sector port users – be they cargo owners, freight forwarders, shippers or stevedores – have been making invaluable contributions to the way in which the Department looks at improving the coordination of service delivery and engaging in joint strategic planning for our sector’s future. As Government, we have to do more to promote maritime training and the maritime industry in general and develop a responsive policy environment that has the requisite incentives to attract young people into this industry. Through SAMSA we participate actively in regional and international organisations like the Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, the International Maritime Organisation and the International Labour Organisation among others. The development and nurturing of maritime skills can thus not be overemphasized. Ladies and Gentlemen, The blue economy poses itself as a game changer. Great opportunities beckon in the maritime sector. We need to tap into those opportunities with vigour and determination. As we look into the future, we are nearing a state where we have almost crystallized our Maritime Transport Policy, the Oceans Economic Policy and the National Transport Master Plan (NATMAP 2050). As Government, we have braced ourselves for the all-important implementation phase. Once more, congratulations on your milestones. May the sun never set on this glorious achievement. I thank you!
Posted on: Thu, 14 Nov 2013 19:03:44 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015