VIDEO: Captain Adams is an inspiration in the maritime industry

LOOKING out at the expanse of Durban harbour from the vantage point of the Millennium Tower on the Bluff is one of the things Captain Justin Adams enjoys most about his job.

Captain Adams is the Deputy Harbour Master for the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) at the Port of Durban, overseeing a team of 30 direct reports. He has also served as acting harbour master over several periods including since January 2020 and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. The role of VTS is to plan port operations ahead and to co-ordinate any vessel movement in the port safely and effectively, taking into consideration aspects such as weather conditions. This includes ship sailings as well as the port’s fleet of marine craft such as tug boats, pilot boats and more. The more ships brought into the port, the more goods and products are traded.

Captain Adams has over 20 years of experience in the marine industry and eight years in his current position. After pursuing Maritime Studies at the then Natal Technikon, he joined the then Portnet, now Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), in 1997 and did his sea-time as a cadet with the company, qualifying with his international STCW (Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) Class 3 ticket in 2000. He went on to work as a tug master manning these harbour craft that help to guide vessels safely in and out of our waters, including assisting with berthing or unberthing of ships.

“A highlight of my career was getting to travel around the world on container ships, but the most important highlight was that I had the privilege, when I qualified, of completing a two-month trip to Antarctica, when we helped with a crew change of German scientists who were working on a project there,” he said.

“We got to go onto the ice shelf itself and to walk around there and experience life on the ice shelf down in Antarctica,” he recalled.

In late 2000 he was selected for TNPA’s accelerated training programme for marine pilots in Rotterdam, which was aimed at bringing in a new generation of marine pilots, managers and other marine professionals. At the time the industry was largely dominated by expats and white males, with very little representation of South Africans of colour. Many of the early candidates have now spent the last two decades building their maritime careers and taking on senior roles in the industry. Upon his return from pilot training he was transferred to the Port of Cape Town to work as a tug master.

He qualified as a marine pilot in 2003 and transferred back to the Port of Durban where he worked as a marine pilot for five years and obtained his Open Licence, enabling him to pilot ships of any size and vessel type. He has now served as Deputy Harbour Master: VTS for more than eight years since August 2012. The VTS department sources, extracts and documents accurate and current port control-related information and furnishes this information to the port community and marine services role-players. They also analyse and capture data, such as vessel arrival/departure times and movements. VTS also has to check if a vessel is safe from disease or hazards and has the necessary documentation before allowing it to enter.

The Bluff Port Control tower has taken a battering from increasing incidences of strong winds and has sustained damage to its cowl, which rotates to point in the direction the wind is blowing. The tower is undergoing renovations and Captain Adams and his team are temporarily housed in the port’s Durmarine Building. Although he works at the Port of Durban, he grew up in Pietermaritzburg and still lives there, commuting daily.

“Some people say I am crazy, but it is very relaxing for me because by the time I get home I am a lot more at ease. At work, things change every hour on the hour. There are always challenges to deal with and being in charge of the planning and movement of vessels in the Port of Durban is filled with major decision making, calls and queries,” he says.

“I enjoy that my job is so challenging. No day is the same. You get to meet a lot of people of different nationalities and cultures. There is always something interesting happening. There is never a dull moment in our industry, especially working in one of the busiest ports in South Africa. You have to be on top of your game and know what is happening all the time.”

His advice for young people is: “Do your research and look into the maritime industry. It is very broad and there is a lot of work to do in this industry. It doesn’t just end with being a tug master or a pilot. You could be a port agent, a surveyor, a cargo agent, clearing and forwarding agent and much more. There are a lot of opportunities in this industry. The shipping industry is an important industry that will keep growing from strength to strength.”

Adams is one of the transformed harbour masters and deputy harbour masters who were honoured as TNPA commemorated its 20th year of existence and the strides made since its first group of marine trainees began their maritime careers two decades ago.

The celebratory programme coincided with the country’s Heritage Month and the global commemoration of World Maritime Day on 24 September, under the theme “Sustainable shipping for a sustainable planet”. During its virtual Maritime Heritage Celebration event on Wednesday, 23 September, TNPA unveiled its Maritime Transformation Legacy coffee table book and documentary, showcasing the stories of the pioneers who transformed its marine operations environment and created a proud legacy for the organisation and country. They also paved the way for a new generation of marine pilots, specialists in port control and aids to navigation, as well as harbour masters, who today include historically disadvantaged individuals.

To view TNPA’s Maritime Transformation Legacy coffee table book, visit: https://ow.ly/eTHq50BwXXJ

To view TNPA’s Maritime Transformation Legacy documentary, visit: https://youtu.be/xDI0tLr4o_0

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