Two harbour tugs up for auction
TNPA seeks bids for two tugs
SOUTH AFRICA: Two of Transnet National Ports Authority’s tugboats will go on auction later this month at a starting bid of R2,5 million each.
Currently out of commission in the Port of Saldanha, the two twin screw harbour tugs can be viewed by appointment before the auction on 25 February.
Interested buyers can register online and will be required to pay a R100,000 deposit to bid on the 49-year-old Meeuw or Marcus. While both vessels are substantially identical, the Meeuw was built locally in Durban while the Marcus was built in France at the Ateliers & Chantiers shipyard.
Judging by the photos available on the bidder’s website, both vessels will require some significant attention by prospective buyers, who will likely need to organise the towage of the tugs from their current position.
The successful bidder will have 90 days to collect the tug.
With experience in auctioning and tendering vessels, WH Auctioneers, notes that the interest in second-hand boats is market dependant, but that generally it remains buoyant.
The two Transnet tugs have already attracted interest from the local market, but WH Auctioneer’s, Nishan Hunsraj, foresees enquiries from other areas as well.
“We anticipate that the starting bids are a fair indication of attainable value,” says Hunsraj who adds that the final acceptance of bids will be at the discretion of the sellers.
2011