South Africa’s Navy Welcomes Its First Versatile Inshore Patrol Vessel from Damen Shipyards Cape Town
Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT) unveiled the initial unit of three Multi-Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPV) secured by ARMSCOR for the South African Navy (SAN).
The vessels will enhance South Africa’s maritime defense by improving the nation’s ability to respond effectively, swiftly, and economically to challenges such as illicit trafficking and fishing.
DSCT Project Manager, Ian Stewart, states that the launch represents a significant milestone for the shipyard. “This marks the culmination of three years of dedicated labor by a committed team. Ultimately, over one million man-hours of effort will be devoted to the construction of the three MMIPVs.”
The vessel, weighing more than 600 tons, was transported from the DSCT facility on the evening of March 23, 2021, to the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) synchrolift at the Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront Basin. The transport was executed by Mammoet South Africa, employing 48 axle lines of Self-Propelled Mobile Transporters (SPMTs) to ensure precise handling. Mammoet Project Manager, Uzayr Karimulla, mentions that moving the vessel at night minimized disruption to traffic, but the limited lighting came with its unique challenges. “Through meticulous planning, close cooperation, and teamwork between DSCT and Mammoet South Africa, we achieved a successful move. We are delighted to have participated in this project, contributing to the enhancement of safer waters in Southern Africa.”
Once the vessel was elevated onto the synchrolift, the team awaited high tide before proceeding out of the V&A Basin with TNPA tugs towards the Elliot Basin. The testing of the ship systems will now initiate prior to the vessel’s official delivery to ARMSCOR/SAN before the year concludes.
The MMIPVs are constructed utilizing the patented Damen Axe Bow design, which guarantees low drag, high sustained speed in waves, and exceptional sea-keeping capabilities in the harshest conditions.
As vertical accelerations are significantly diminished and bow slamming is nearly eliminated, the safety of the vessel and crew is greatly enhanced, which minimizes operational risks. The multi-mission deck is designated for supporting diving, search and rescue, and anti-piracy missions.
DSCT HR & Transformation Manager, Eva Moloi, emphasizes that DSCT takes pride in the extensive years it has dedicated to local South African skills transfer, training, entrepreneurship development, and collaboration, which have fostered a robust pool of scarce trade skills and supplier partnerships in South Africa.
“Our local skills transfer and Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) initiatives not only contribute to the South African economy but also ensure that our local maritime sector is less dependent on international imports. DSCT firmly supports technology transfer, inclusion of local enterprises in project execution, and stimulation of export transactions under the Defence Industrial Participation (DIP) programme, particularly benefiting SMMEs, Military Veteran (MV) Owned Entities, and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) Compliant Entities. The collaborations established during this project have resulted in the successful launch of the MMIPV. It can genuinely be stated that the MMIPVs have been constructed in South Africa, by South Africans, for South Africa,” she adds.
The engineering process for the vessel began in 2018, and the keel was laid in February 2019. “Despite the COVID lockdown, our local expertise and partnerships, resilient production schedule, and advanced planning capabilities of our Cape Town team allowed various subcontractors and teams to safely work on the vessel,” Moloi observes.
