The SA Agulhas is back in SA waters and is now in the Port of Port Elizabeth. She arrived on Friday morning carrying 20 cadets who undertook an 83-day journey covering the Antarctica aboard the training and education vessel.
An epic experience, but glad to be home.
The SA Agulhas - the South African Maritime Safety Authority’s (Samsa) dedicated training vessel, sailed to Antarctica on November 24, last year, via Mauritius with 20 cadets on board who are enrolled at various institutions pursuing maritime studies.
The 20 cadets were excited to arrive back in SA, anxious and said they “had an experience of a lifetime which changed their lives”. The expression on their faces, as they finally docked, spelt joy and relief.
The lives of the seven women and 13 men had changed, they said. Given that many were afraid of the ocean, they were now proud to say they “walked on the Antarctic ice”.
The SA Agulhas was chartered by an Indian science team who boarded the ship at Port Louis, Mauritius. During the journey to the “end of the earth” as the cadets describe, they engaged in unique maritime training sessions, with the added bonus of meeting new people from all over the world.
Operations Manager for Samsa’s Maritime Special Projects, Roland Shortt, said it had been an unique experience for the cadets.
Highlighting how crucial it is to keep the Agulhas at sea, he explained the role the training vessel served to enhance maritime training and contribution to the development of the oceans economy.
“There is a dedicated cadet training programme on board where they receive direct training as if they were in a classroom. They have dedicated training officers whose sole purpose is to mentor and train the cadets. Their training involves many tasks including bridge watch keeping (navigation), passage spanning, and astronavigation.
“They also get to be trained in the engineering side of the ship,” said Shortt.
“Unlike putting them in a merchant vessel, where they would be shadowing the officers, in the SA Agulhas they do not merely watch; they are taken through the process, layer by layer,” he explained.
Cadets sail on an adventure of a lifetime
Scientific research was also carried out.
Shortt said once the vessel reached the ice in the Antarctica, other research activities took place.
“They conducted servicing and retrieving of scientific apparatus left in the ocean in-between surveys, generally for periods of about 12 months,” he said.
Clementine Dlamini, 21, one of the seven female cadets, who hails from Mandeni near Stanger, said she wanted “a hands-on and unique job,” which was why she became interested in the maritime field.
Reflecting on her experiences on board the vessel Dlamini said: “It was scary at first. But then I got the hang of things and fell in love with the journey. Thanks to my training officers, they made it very easy for us to adjust. They were very helpful.”
Calling on aspiring cadets she said: “I would recommend that the youth apply for this learning experience. It is very exciting."
Nompumelelo Ngubane, 24, from Greytown in KwaZulu-Natal said sharing journeying across different continents made her fall in love with life at sea and working in the maritime field.
She said she missed her family but knew that her career was just as important.
“I knew that my career would often take me away from my family,” said Ngubane who lives with her mother and five siblings.
Reflecting on her experience, she said: “I learned new things every day. The maritime field is a whole new element of learning about the oceans and the ships. Being on the SA Agulhas allowed me to put into practice all the theory I learnt.”