Critical shortage of naval architects impacts safety of fishing vessels

Lack of training opportunities thwart scarce skill

SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa currently has only five qualified naval architects at its disposal both within the private sector and within the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) – a situation that is resulting in challenges relating to the surveying and certification of fishing vessels.

“If a naval architect passes away, we don’t have any spares,” noted a concerned participant at today’s Fish Platform meeting that is being held over two days in Cape Town at the Sea Safety Training Group’s premises.

Although drawing a few chuckles, the comment emphasises a major challenge. Another participant also highlighted this concern pointing out that there is a major gap between the findings of the SAMSA surveyors and its own naval architect.

“We have at most, two naval architects in Cape Town, resulting in a delay of between six to eight weeks to get stability books,” he said adding that, with no local institutions offering courses for naval architects, it is likely to remain a problem for the foreseeable future.

Any South African keen to pursue a career in naval architecture would necessarily need to undertake their studies abroad at great cost to themselves with no local grants or bursaries available to assist the country attain these scarce skills.

Some consideration could be given to the funding set aside to send a group of South Africans to study at the World Maritime University annually. A decision to divert some of this funding towards a call for interested parties to study naval architecture would certainly not go amiss.

The situation also impacts on Namibia’s fishing sector which relies on SAMSA’s resources to certify the stability of their fishing fleet. According to one representative, this can take up to a year before finalised.

PHOTO: The Fish Platform meeting kicked off today in Cape Town at the Sea Safety Training Group premises. (© Maritime Review Africa)

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