SOUTH AFRICA: Just under 450 new sailors officially entered the South African Navy last week when the Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Monde Lobese officiated over their passing out parade in Saldanha Bay.

EGYPT: Capacity-building efforts to strengthen Egypt’s maritime decarbonisation journey was prioritised at a workshop to facilitate stakeholder dialogue within the country’s maritime transport and logistics sector last week.

SOUTH AFRICA: Commander Lelethu Bixa became the second woman to be appointed to take command of a warship last week at a Change of Command parade held in Simon’s Town last week.

SOUTH AFRICA: Moving to stabilise Transnet’s financial situation and service the State Owned Entity’s debt, the Government has approved an R48.6 billion guarantee to ensure sufficient liquidity over the next five years.

SOUTH AFRICA: The need to review hydrographic training in South Africa and create more formalised educational options is currently being addressed in order to build capacity and develop skills for the African continent.

Nigeria’s Read Admiral Ayo has been appointed as a Vice Chair of the International Centre for Electronic Navigational Charts (IC-ENC) during a meeting held in Turkey earlier this month.

With so much going on in the maritime space, it is often difficult to keep track of trends and developments. Social media posts jostle for our attention as companies, organisations, individuals and influencers seek the perfect blend of hook and substance to attract our attention as they mine for our likes and reposts. It is difficult not to get lost wandering around in this noisy virtual arena – and it is even more difficult to take the time and focus on just one thing. In this first part of a series of articles discussing the State of the South African Maritime Nation, editor, Colleen Jacka, sifts through information from sources that include conferences, recent events and doom scrolling across social media.

KENYA: Completed at a cost of over $20 million, the newly constructed Shimoni Fish Port facility was handed over to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) last week by contractors, Southern Engineering Company (SECO).