NovaMarine, a marine safety and survival equipment service provider based in Cape Town, has expanded its Technologies service offering to Walvis Bay, Namibia. The Technologies division is a specialised procurement division within NovaMarine for the supply, installation and commissioning of auxiliary marine systems for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) such as Gefico, Cathelco, SKF and many more.
Susan Meldrum, Divisional Manager for NovaMarine said, “We had promising engagements with the local marine market in Walvis Bay towards the end of last year. These engagements re-affirmed the need to provide locally based support to the Namibian fishing and diamond mining market. As a large portion of work stems from our ability to service our clients offshore, this expansion further makes us accessible to the West African market. At present, our Durban branch services our Richard’s Bay clients on the east coast where we have seen an increase in sales over the past year.”
NovaMarine Technologies holds exclusive agency agreements with Gefico and Cathelco for cathodic marine growth protection systems (MGPS), Impressed Current Corrosion Protection (ICCP) and reverse osmosis water maker systems. They are accredited distributors for Chris Marine, Victor Marine and RWO and a distributor and service agent for Daihatsu Diesel medium speed engines and aftersales services for Sub-Saharan Africa. A recent addition to the Technologies portfolio is an agreement with SKF Germany for their marine portfolio of products which allows them to procure and service a range of oily water separators, Simplex stern tube sealing systems, steering gear and fin stabilizer systems.
Richard Abbott, Technical Manager, said, “The SKF brand is internationally recognised, and their products cover a range of components necessary for the smooth running of a vessel. We have also seen an opportunity to partner with SKF to offer training to the marine industry on maintenance of their mounting and shaft alignment systems. So far, we’ve had successful sessions with the South African market and will be extending it to our global customers.” NovaMarine initially saw the effects of international lockdown restrictions during the pandemic, and their technicians were unable to go offshore. Offshore activity started increasing towards the end of 2021 and this year so far, they have successfully performed servicing in Angola and Senegal on the safety and survival side and in Nigeria and Ivory Coast for Technologies.
Andrew Sturrock, CEO of parent company Sturrock Grindrod Maritime said, “We anticipate this expansion to be the first of many as we align the competencies within the Group to offer our clients sound technical support and ensure seamless ship movements. Our business is customer-centric and focused on operational efficiency. We strive for a 10/10 customer experience.”
NovaMarine forms part of the SGM Technical division of Sturrock Grindrod Maritime, which includes marine safety and survival equipment and maintenance (NovaMarine), engineering services (Hesper and SwiftNova) and depot services (United Container Depots).