SAMSA to participate at Nor-shipping conference in Norway

SAMSA, Photo: samsa.org.za

SAMSA to participate at Nor-shipping conference in Norway

Pretoria, South Africa: Sobantu Tilayi, acting Chief Executive Officer for the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) will lead a high level delegation to the Nor-shipping Conference, the leading international shipping events for maritime experts, to be held in Olso, Norway between May 29 and June 20, 2017.

 

The weeklong maritime trade fair features exhibitions, conferences, debates, product launches, and attracts ship owners, shipbrokers, ship financers, ports and port technology representatives, cargo handlers, maritime and training institutions, research organisations, navigational equipment, aid suppliers and industry leaders in general.

South Africa is a maritime country endowed with just of over 3200km of a coastline on which sits eight commercial ports, and some 1.6-million square kilometers of an Exclusive Economic Zone spread over three oceans from the Atlantic in the west, the Southern Ocean in the south and the Indian Ocean to the east.

Showcase South Africa’s oceans

Tilayi said the opportunity to showcase South Africa’s oceans and its potential to the international community was critical as it presented “meaningful economic opportunities in the sector”.

– This would ensure meaningful, profitable engagement. Sub-Sahara represents he world’s second largest growing economy, and this century is predicted to be the African century. Given the continent’s growing industrial and digital revolution, massive urbanisation, a growing middle-class and increased diversification in trade, participating in this conference is critical, says Tilayi.

SAMSA’s participation together with other maritime stakeholders from South Africa opens an assortment of opportunities across continents, which also requires international partnerships with worthy business actors that can support this development and capacity development.

Norway represents a world leading maritime cluster

In this context, Norway represents a world leading maritime cluster that delivers leading edge innovation, technology and commercial solutions, and Nor-shipping provides a perfect platform for exploring new opportunities for partnerships and insights from leading experts, Tilayi said.

SAMSA within the country’s broad Oceans Economy programme, is charged with maritime capacity and skills development. It will therefore play a leading role, including maritime technical support in maritime industry related engagements in support of government departments present.

The South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) and SAMSA at the Nor-shipping Conference will also present a case and profile of SA seafarers, and position South Africa as a maritime nation it is, including being a preferred supplier of seafaring professionals in the presence of global ship-owners

 

© SAMSA / Norway Today