New plough tug joins dredging fleet
New vessel replaces 50-year-old plough tug
SOUTH AFRICA: Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) christened the latest addition to their dredging fleet last week when Transnet Group Chief Executive, Portia Derby, undertook the honour of revealing the name of the new plough tug that was built in Cape Town.
Christened Mohoma, which means “to plough” in Sesotho – the acquisition forms part of TNPA’s ongoing fleet replacement programme. The new vessel will replace the 50-year-old Impisi which has surpassed its operational lifespan and has been confined to the Port of Durban for the past few years.
Mohoma will enable the Authority to service all the South African ports to improve berth capacity.
Delivering the keynote address at the Christening Ceremony, Chairperson of the Transnet Board of Directors, Dr Popo Molefe said: “The demand for dredging services has increased in the region and the addition of this plough tug will increase the berth capacity of the ports. Managing the demand is part of TNPA’s growth plan, which will see the continuous improvement of port infrastructure.”
A plough tug is used as a bed leveler to smooth out high spots created by marine traffic in high-volume berth areas. The vessel complements the work of dredgers, which serve the purpose of maintaining or increasing the depth of navigation channels, anchorages, or berthing areas to ensure the safe passage of boats and vessels.
Built by Damen Shipyards Cape Town, plough tug Mohoma is a multi-functional seagoing workboat for harbour and coastal services. It is a unit from the Shoalbuster series - built in steel to the Damen standard design. Damen Shipyards Cape Town has vast experience with low-cost maintenance vessels ensuring an optimal layout and maintainability of all installed high-quality components.
“We are honoured to deliver this state-of-the-art plough tug to TNPA. This vessel has the capacity of a 45-ton bollard pull measure, 32 metres long and 9 metres wide, and can plough up to 25m in depth. With a spacious working deck, this versatile workboat will serve as an asset for TNPA's ports and dredging operations,” said Sefale Montsi, Director of Damen Shipyards Cape Town.
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