Transport: Port dredger arrives in SA

A NEW dredger to help maintain South African ports arrived in Durban from Bulgaria on Friday. The vessel, Italeni, received a muted welcome at the end of its maiden voyage from the Bulgarian port of Varna, where it was built. According to Transnet, the Italeni was designed and built to achieve low maintenance costs. It will replace the ageing Crane dredger, joining the Islandlwana grab hopper dredger. The Italeni, named after the battle of Italeni which took place near the Ithala Mountains where the Zulu King Dingane defeated the Voortrekkers in 1838, will not begin service immediately. The grab crane currently on the Crane will be transferred to the Italeni. The Italeni will be used mainly for maintenance work in various ports throughout the country. – Sapa