Durban - The SAS Amatola, the warship that spent a year in Durban’s dry docks for a major overhaul, is back on the high seas and will resume fighting pirates off Africa’s east coast once its weapons are refitted.
The anti-piracy patrols in the Mozambique Channel are part of a Southern African Development Community (SADC) initiative to prevent pirates coming down the east coast into South African waters.
The SAS Amatola arrived at the Southern African Shipyards premises in Durban in March last year after the company won a R400 million contract to refit the vessel.
The project, which involved the removal of its diesel engines, was one of the largest undertaken by a South African company for the navy.
The warship was handed back last Friday at the Salisbury Island Naval Station, and on Saturday sailed for Simon’s Town naval base where its weaponry will be refitted.
The SAS Amatola is one of the navy’s four Valour class frigates. She was launched in June 2002 and commissioned into service in February 2006. She measures 121m and displaces 3 700 tons.
In 2013, the frigate was deployed in the Mozambique Channel under the Chief of Joint Operations for anti-piracy missions.
Prasheen Maharaj, chief executive of Southern African Shipyards, said the refit was completed within budget and schedule, and the vessel was fully commissioned for sailing duty, with harbour and sea acceptance trials completed.
“All harbour acceptance trials were in line with the navy’s own requirements. The major works carried out on her included the replacement of both her main propulsion drive engines, the refurbishment of the gas turbine unit which allowed her to gain her maximum permissible speed of 30 knots at sea conditions. Other major works included the complete blast and re-coating of the entire vessel including her upper accommodation deck.
“This entailed the removing of all electrical and navigational equipment and the replacement thereof once completed,” he said.
The vessel was also refurbished inside including: its accommodation, bridge, engine control room, galley, mess room, heli-deck, and hangar and heating; ventilation and air conditioning.
Maharaj said Southern African Shipyards was now eyeing the replacement of the fleet replenishment vessel, SAS Drakensberg, but no official requirements had been issued by Armscor.
He said ship refits were important to maintain the longevity of vessels.
“These vessels are subject to extreme weather and to a high degree of corrosion, the engines and generators have specific running times like any machinery item that needs to be serviced and replaced in due course.
“The SAS Amatola is home to 152 sailors and, after 10 years, a fair amount of wear had occurred on the machinery items and accommodation areas,” Maharaj said.
Southern African Shipyards, a 70% black-owned company with 12% owned by its employees, recently won a R1.4 billion contract to produce nine tugboats for Transnet.
The company is expected to launch the first tugboat in November and the last in early 2018.
Brigadier-General Xolani Mabanga, spokesman for the SA Defence Force, did not respond to questions.
Daily News