BEFORE the arrival of the new Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) tug at Richards Bay, the company held an internal tug naming competition, and, last week the winner received his prize.

Delville Robbertze, Second Engineer: Port Operations Marine Services, retired last year, but not before choosing the tug’s winning name.

‘Ukhozi’, meaning ‘eagle’ in isiZulu, was the winning name, coincidentally chosen by both Robbertze and Sinamile Zuma, TNPA Customer Relations Manager.

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Competition criteria was that the name should be a single, inspiring one, in keeping with the port’s theme of naming their vessels after South African birds.

‘I would like to thank all the Port of Richards Bay employees who entered our employee competition and put forward suggestions of names for this special vessel,’ said Port Manager Preston Khomo at the launch of the new tug earlier this year.

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‘Ukhozi is one of nine new tugs being built for TNPA, but the first of two that will serve at our port alongside some of our older marine vessels.

‘She was built as part of a marine fleet replacement programme that aims to boost our efficiency and better enable our ports to handle larger commercial vessels more frequently.’

Valued at R1.4-billion, the port’s tug building programme is the largest single contract TNPA has ever awarded to a South African company for the building of harbour craft, and was awarded to Durban-based Southern African Shipyards, which also built TNPA’s previous order of 12 tugs.