Appointment

New GM for Mauritian shipyard

MAURITIUS: Willy van Niekerk has been appointed as the new general manager of Taylor Smith Shipyard (TSS) – the oldest ship repair facility in the country.

In his new position, Van Niekerk, who has been with the company since 2022, has been tasked with developing and expanding the yard’s docking, salvage and afloat repair services.

He will also be responsible for modernising the yard, expanding its regional scope and portfolio, and tapping into new markets. “Knowing the yard, the team and the Group, I am looking forward to growing the company and its activities to such an extent that we become the yard that everyone wants to use,” he says.

After being introduced to the sea as a teenager on board a converted fishing vessel, he decided to pursue a career in marine engineering. Over the course of his international career at sea, Van Niekerk sailed on container ships and bulk carriers and, in the process, achieved the rank of Chief Engineer.

Coming ashore, he has worked in South Africa, Germany and South Korea as a technical superintendent, newbuild superintendent, ship manager and dry dock manager.

Van Niekerk succeeds Thierry Bétuel who managed the yard for 29 years and will remain with the company as CEO of Marine Cluster in the Taylor Smith Group.

“Thierry’s are big shoes to fill! He was and is integral to who we are and what we do. He took over from his father, Yves Bétuel, who also headed up our yard for decades. The Bétuel family is very experienced in maritime matters, has a heart for the business and I am looking forward to continue working together with Thierry,” noted Van Niekerk.

Taylor Smith Shipyard is part of the Taylor and Smith families’ group of companies. Within the company many people have worked and continue to work from father and mother to daughter and son – it is truly a family-owned company with generations of expertise in drydocking and ship repair.