South Africa is surrounded by vast oceans with immense untapped potential — a resource that the government says has the potential to contribute up to R177-billion to the country’s GDP and create over one million jobs over the course of the next decade. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), coastal goods and services alone contribute 35% of South Africa’s gross domestic product (GDP). Conservation of these marine resources cannot be separated from human survival or economic development.
The oceans economy refers to the sum of the commercial activities of ocean-based industries, including goods, services and assets of marine ecosystems. This makes it both a micro-economy within communities and a macro-economy that encompasses many crucial sectors such as mining, transport, energy, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture.
The global pandemic has, over the past two years, affected every aspect of life, and the maritime sector did not escape the impact of Covid-19. The theme for this year’s World Maritime Day, which was observed on 29 September, shines a light on the importance of ocean-based industries, while focusing on solutions to rebuild the sector in a more environmentally-friendly, sustainable way. The day seeks to raise awareness about international maritime industries and acknowledge the sector’s contribution toward the global economy, with a focus on shipping practices, ocean-based operations and the protection of the marine environment.
Developing countries are doing amazing work in this field, and need continued support to promote inclusive innovation and the uptake of new technologies. South Africa is committed to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the maritime industry has a vital role to play if these goals are to be realised. SDG 13 and 14 speak directly to climate action and the sustainable use of oceans and marine resources, SDG 9 focuses on industry, innovation and infrastructure, and SDG 17 highlights the importance of partnerships and implementation to achieve these collective milestones.
Exploring ocean-based career pathways and critical skills for future sustainability
The ship repair and maintenance industry is valued globally at between $30-billion and $40-billion, of which South Africa already contributes $1.5-billion to $2-billion — an impressive 5% of the global market share.
As a strategic African hub for maritime activities, its world-class technologies, skills and infrastructure, and its proximity to offshore drilling and exploration sites around Africa, South Africa is a compelling choice for ship and rig maintenance, oil and gas repairs and for the world’s shipping operators.
In March 2014, cabinet approved the piloting of the Malaysian Big Fast Results (BFR) methodology. It was rebranded Operation Phakisa when it was launched in South Africa to demonstrate the state’s urgency to deliver.
Operation Phakisa – Oceans Economy is a priority programme that the South African Government believes can grow the ocean economy’s contribution to the country’s GDP to between R129-billion and R177-billion by 2033, or 250% to 350% of its present value. This is expected to provide up to a million new jobs.The first implementation was led by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to kickstart and unlock the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans.
The sectoral efforts and continual industry upgrading has already experienced a rising interest in investment opportunities for shipping and logistics companies, stevedores, vessel builders, maintenance and repair companies, back-of-port operations and construction consortiums.
World-class workforce underpinned by world-class education
This talent base is sustained by an extensive maritime education sector: investors in the blue economy rely on a trained and educated workforce to deliver on their projects and business plans. South Africa caters to every level of the industry’s educational needs, from short courses to vocational and trade skills, all the way to PhD-level studies.
Because the ocean economy is of strategic importance to South Africa, over 90 institutions around the country offer maritime-related programmes, building and maintaining the critical mass of skilled people that the sector’s successful businesses depend on. Subsequently, skills development has been identified as one of the key contributors to the growth of the ocean economy.
South Africa offers world-class education, training and certification to support the maritime industry, ranging from high school subjects to university qualifications, including internationally recognised training programmes accredited in accordance with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) conventions. Maritime studies are a strategic area for skills development in South Africa, with subjects like Maritime Economics and Nautical Science now being introduced at some high schools.
Students come from across the African continent to benefit from South Africa’s wide range of maritime and marine-related degree programmes that are offered by public universities, as well as training programmes in subjects that support the wider ocean economy such as civil and mechanical engineering, law, medicine, economics and business studies.
The South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) was established in 2014 in response to a growing demand from the maritime sector to coordinate skills development, training, education and research. It offers technical and vocational training, with courses that cover a myriad of opportunities in different fields: Shipping and Transport; Marine Resources that includes fishing, pharmaceuticals, aquaculture and offshore energy and mining; Marine Tourism; Operational Support Services; Manufacturing and Construction; Ship Repair and Maintenance; and Business Services, which incorporate maritime-specialised professionals within the banking, legal, insurance, ICT and consulting domains. Finally, the Public Interest cluster looks at public maritime functions and services like maritime regulatory and naval defence, law enforcement, and emergency and disaster management.
Skills development is an important enabler to ensure the industry does not get left behind as technological advancements accelerate at a breakneck pace. The World Maritime University has identified some fourth industrial revolution (4IR) competencies that are critical going forward; these include data analysis, automation, cybersecurity, computer programming, simulation and robotics. — Kofi Zwana
The Transnet Maritime School of Excellence was born from a merger between the School of Ports and the School of Port Operations, and offers a first-of-its-kind opportunity to provide skills development, not only for South Africa but also for the rest of the subcontinent.
The main campus is in Durban at the site of the old airport, and there are satellite campuses in Richards Bay, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. Rail, port and transport company Transnet is spending an unprecedented R7.7-billion on training as it races to meet growing capacity demands.
The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has designated the purchase and maintenance of working vessels as a special sector to be covered by the Preferential Procurement Regulations that apply to public sector purchasing. Since this designation in 2014, seven working vessel tenders have been advertised, with three local companies being awarded contracts worth around $90-million. Over 200 new jobs have been created as a result.
However, the growth and expansion of the ocean economy is not solely focused on economic gains. The leaders spearheading many of the programmes are also aware of South Africa’s continued disparities and widespread inequalities in South Africa and are making active moves to address these, to the betterment of society.
The South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) launched its Maritime Awareness Programme, aimed at shining a spotlight on the oceans economy and highlighting its role in addressing the socio-economic challenges facing the country. Between 2014 and 2019 the organisation has reported 1 199 and 3 521 learners trained in apprenticeships and skills programmes in Marine Manufacturing respectively; 650 and 4 825 learners trained in cadets and skills programmes in Maritime Transport respectively; 308 and 180 learners trained Aquaculture and Fisheries short courses respectively; and 625 learners trained in Maritime Protection and Ocean Governance, with a further 207 learners equipped to provide International Training.
The programme targets marginalised groups and people from previously disadvantaged communities, with special divisions for learners, entrepreneurs, SMMEs, unemployed youth and women. The Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan (ERRP) has identified gender equality and economic inclusion of women and youth as one of its priority interventions. According to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Blade Ndzimande: “Inclusivity demands that we firmly redress the deep structural inequalities reproduced across racial, gender and spatial lines, and ‘sustainability’ requires us to ensure durable and decent jobs, as well as preserving our biodiversity and climate stability.”
These initiatives, with their focus on inclusion, environmental awareness and education and job growth, paint a positive picture for South Africa and its burgeoning blue economy.
The world’s penguin population is decreasing at an alarming rate, and that should be a cause for concern — as an indicator species, if they are in trouble, then so is humanity. The recent ban on fishing in water near penguin colonies is being criticised as too little, too late and the call for more Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is growing.
According to the Southern African Foundation For The Conservation Of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) there are only 10 000 breeding pairs of African Penguins left, mostly due to low fish stocks, pollution from vessels and climate change.
While SANCCOB is lobbying for fishing bans, the environmental group Green Connection wants MPAs to expand, and describes this as “an investment for the future”. According to their strategic lead, Liz McDaid, the entire ocean should be regarded as protected. But what does that imply, and how feasible is it in South Africa?
Dr Judy Mann, the executive for strategic projects at the 2 Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, describes MPAs as “areas of the coastline or the ocean that have special legal protection because of the unique features, species and processes that are found there”. She says MPAs are critical, and without them there is no ocean economy.
In South Africa only 5% of the oceans are protected through 41 marine protected areas, while 30% of the country’s territory in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica is protected by the Prince Edward Islands MPA, according to the latest government statistics and the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Mann was part of the team that founded and launched South Africa’s MPA Day last year. The day is observed on 1 August and is necessary, she says, “because people do not know what MPAs are or how important they are”.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the sardine stock in South African waters continues to be at historically low levels. Mann believes MPAs have a role to play in replenishing their populations. “We’re protecting bigger fish, healthier fish, with females that are able to reproduce quite effectively,” she says, “so we’re actually building a stock of fish in those MPAs.”
Mann explains this with a simple, everyday comparison: “Think of the ocean as a bank. The fish are your capital. Those fish reproduce and grow, and spill out of the marine protected area, and they help feed adjacent areas.”
Their research shows that fishermen prefer to fish in these areas, which are considered the best fishing spots around. SANCCOB’s research manager, Katta Ludynia, agrees, adding that there is ample scientific research and recorded examples showing the positive spill-over effects of conservation efforts — whether through the establishment of MPAs or the implementation of fishing restrictions — and that the economy around fishing is not negatively impacted.
Ludynia says this is evident in the sustainable developments reports issued by the Oceana Group. This global fishing company has committed to responsible fishing practices, and is a founding member of the Responsible Fisheries Alliance. The company also works with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to promote a ecosystems approach to fisheries management.
Ludynia says there has been no mention of any risk of job losses due to fishing closures near penguin colonies over the last 12 years. In fact, she says, their reports show that the small pelagic fishing sector experienced an increase in the years that experimental island closures have been in place.
While the benefits of these areas to both people and planet are evident, Ludynia warns that the current measures are not enough. In the end, it all comes down to balance.
“What we need is effective marine spatial planning that looks at the needs of humans and the environment, and we need to look at zoning the ocean to meet both of those needs,” Mann explains. “We can’t have a situation where 90% of the ocean is set aside for exploitation and 10% is set aside for protection, or vice versa — we must find a balance.”
The Green Connection believes that this can be achieved by roping in local communities, according to the organisation’s strategic lead Liz McDaid: “If government focused on the people and the planet instead of profit, and worked with local communities, we could decide which were important areas that provide habitat to endangered species and areas where fish breed.” She believes there is a need to create co-management forums where local fishers can contribute to solutions for a sustainable future.
MPAs are not just important for sustainability in fishing or the oceans economy. They also help to protect landscapes and cultural heritage sites, and facilitate and accelerate development in the fast-growing eco-tourism sector. Mann says this has a knock-on effect and impacts the spiritual and cultural practices of surrounding communities, while also creating education opportunities and employment.
These areas also set a benchmark for what nature should look like without human interference, making them ideal for scientific and academic research. If the question is how to promote a healthy ocean economy that can benefit not only this generation, but those that will follow, then at least a part of the answer must be MPAs. Officially getting there, however, takes time — in most cases, more than a decade.
The long road towards protection
Mann explains that this isn’t an overnight exercise, a fact that continues to frustrate environmental organisations. A host of factors need to be considered, and there are various processes to go through.
She explains the first step is to create a clear understanding of what needs to be protected. This includes mapping the area of the ocean that needs to be protected, providing information on the marine diversity in that specific area, and how people in the area are using that part of the ocean. Next, oil and gas resources must be indicated and fishing lines determined. After that, she says, it is a process to “identify those areas where you will get the best bang for your buck”.
Consultation with the relevant role players and stakeholders are conducted to determine who will be involved in the MPA and who will be affected. “Then you are going to go through a very long legal process, until eventually the area may be proclaimed.” That is still not the end of the road, or the start of conservation efforts. “Then there’s the process of putting together a management plan and implementing it before the MPA actually starts being effective; it’s a very, very long process.”
Wilfred Chivell heads up Gansbaai-based ecotourism company Marine Dynamics, and says his team has been at the forefront of monitoring great white and other shark species in the area. “Through our eco-tourism partnership, we actually have almost 20 years of cetacean data from our Dyer Island Cruises and 15 years of shark data from our diving tours.” He says without shark cage diving, which he considers the only effective monitoring tool of white sharks in South Africa, people would still be oblivious to the fragility of and threat to this species.
They are also monitoring the Bronze Whaler Shark population in the Dyer Island Ecosystem and hope to create a protected area for these species, as well as the dwindling African Penguin population. “Many of our fish stocks are severely over-exploited after decades of heavy fishing, but MPAs allow ecosystems and the creatures and plants living in them to recover,” he explains. “They provide safe spaces in which fish can breed undisturbed, and protect spawning and nursery areas where young fish mature into adulthood without the pressure of fishing.”
A bleak outlook on the penguin problem
In the meantime, the story of the African Penguin’s decline is a warning sign of bigger problems. Ludynia says the need for marine protected areas has never been greater: “Numbers of breeding pairs are declining at rates between 5% and 10% in most regions. Historically, there were millions of African penguins along the South African coast, we now have about 1% left in the wild, and numbers continue to decline.”
Just two decades ago Dassen Island on the West Coast had 20 000 breeding pairs: “That was just one of many colonies. Today, we have half of that number left in the entire country, from the West Coast islands to the islands in Algoa Bay.” The penguins are in trouble, and so are we. — Marlinée Fouché
In 2019 Vanessa Davidson learned that boat building in South Africa was a R2.2-billion industry, growing at a yearly rate of 19%. She immediately saw an opportunity to support skills development and transformation and remove industry barriers. Today, Davidson is one of the founders of Blue Cape, a non-profit organisation in Cape Town that aims to contribute to a resilient ocean economy. In partnership with the City of Cape Town and the V&A Waterfront, the NPO wants to tap into opportunities of a growing blue economy and promote economic growth, job creation and employment facilitation, social upliftment and skills development.
Davidson says it all started with research into the value of the surfing sector in Cape Town, and they were “blown away” by the results. With the support of Invest Cape Town, they expanded their research into the economic contribution of the ocean sports economy, which revealed myriad opportunities for job creation and specialised skills training.
The increase in the number of superyachts visiting the V&A Waterfront also grabbed their attention. This, along with the V&A’s commitment to build new infrastructure for these visitors, the increased economic opportunities and the extensive superyacht network that exist globally, were all contributing factors.
Then there were the international boating industry studies about the growth of the sector, which is experiencing a growth boom. “After an initial downturn during hard lockdown, order books are now full for the next three to four years,” says Davidson.
On top of this, there is a national shortage of boat-building skills. This is where Blue Cape decided to step up and fill the gap by empowering the local community.
Filling the gap for people and planet
Davidson is very clear about one thing: “It is very important to us that skill provision is linked to a job for life, to a real, tangible economic opportunity that will transform a person’s life and family circumstances.” This is the principle that underlies the work they do across their wide range of training programmes for people aspiring to enter the world of ocean sport, boat building and superyachts.
In the absence of formal training for sailmakers, mastmakers and riggers, the NPO offers on-the-job training to hone these specialised skills.
In an industry where consciousness about the protection of the marine environment is increasing, a lot of care is put into the building of boats, in order to ensure that the products align with the direction of the market. Davidson says today’s boat buyers are concerned about the environment, sustainability, circularity and the health of the ocean. “A recent catamaran buyer had an ocean monitoring device installed on the new boat so that she can provide data from remote areas that are not sampled by traditional ocean research groups,” she says.
According to her, this buyer is not an outlier or an exception to the rule; buyers are well informed about sustainability trends, which leaves the industry with little option but to follow suit. “It is a wonderful story of the power of ordinary people and their civic duty and stewardship of our oceans,” she says. “Also, the data that will be collected as they sail remote areas in the globe will be invaluable in strengthening the science of our oceans, and better understanding pollution in particular.”
It takes a village to raise a child
Blue Cape’s focus is not limited to boat building: the NPO is creating a vibrant, inclusive ocean community in a previously white-dominated sector. The NPO works alongside various organisations that promote diversity and champion people and communities who previously lacked access and opportunity, especially where ocean sports are concerned.
Some of the organisations they work with include the Royal Cape Yacht Club Academy, Waves4Change and Sail Africa. “These organisations provide training to previously disadvantaged youth, teaching them how to swim, and raising awareness about ocean safety and career pathways to the ocean sports sector through quality educational experiences,” says Davidson.
She is particularly proud of the Beach and Pool Lifeguard training, in partnership with the NPO Oceans Alive. To date, they have trained 62 candidates who can now use their newfound qualifications to help gain employment and better their lives. International accreditation means a whole world of opportunities open up for graduates of the programme to work abroad or on cruise ships.
Further from the main hub of Cape Town, Muizenberg is also becoming a hive of youth empowerment activity. The Beach Surf Lifesaving Club has recently been established to provide professional lifeguard training to Cape Flats youth. Davidson says they were also involved in the upgrading of the beach huts on Muizenberg beach, which are now being made available to ocean-based organisations and beach cleaning initiatives for use as a base of operations.
South Africa’s boat industry is growing faster than ever before; it is also a sector uniquely positioned to facilitate individual growth, community empowerment, social upliftment and economic development within the spaces that need it most. — Marlinée Fouché
Globally, an increasing number of tourists want to know that the money that they spend is helping to make the world a better place. They want to support conservation efforts, they want access to restaurants with sustainable seafood options (and no plastic straws), and they want to make the “right” choice when it comes to their choices as consumers. They are the backbone of ecotourism, which aims to achieve sustainable development through economic growth, environmental integrity and social justice while promoting responsible travel, and this is how multi-faceted organisation Marine Dynamics describes its clients.
Marine Dynamics is a family of organisations dedicated to the marine environment, with offerings that incorporate ecotourism and research. They are involved in various conservation projects ranging from the protection of the African Penguin population to marine animal rescue efforts and the combatting of pollution. The company has also done more than two decades of detailed research around great white sharks, as well as various whale and dolphin species. All of this is made possible through tourism.
One of their offerings is tourist and educational activities in the Dyer Island ecosystem. Part of the revenue generated goes to the Dyer Island Conservation Trust, where it’s used to promote and protect this fragile ecosystem. The company joins many other ecotourism hubs, certified by the non-profit Fair Trade Tourism (FTT), an organisation that promotes responsible tourism in Southern Africa and beyond. This certification signifies a company’s commitment to fair and responsible tourism, which includes fair wages and working conditions, fair purchasing and operations, equitable distribution of benefits and respect for human rights, culture and the environment.
Sharks are friends, not food
Marine Dynamics regards itself as one of the leaders in responsible shark cage diving and whale watching. According to the company chairman Wilfred Chivell, this simultaneously serves the objectives of the ocean economy, tourism, the environment and the community. “We educate 35 000 visitors every year and help change negative perceptions of the often-misunderstood white shark,” he explains.
Chivell says that shark cage diving is the only effective monitoring tool of great white sharks in South Africa: “Because of these tours, daily observational data is collected by onboard marine biologists, who continually identify gaps in marine conservation knowledge, education and awareness.”
This is done by tagging and tracking great white sharks, conducting behavioural surveys, wound healing, environmental parameter monitoring and population studies. “This is effective science that can be translated into evidence-based conservation initiatives and legislation,” he says.
Through these tours, the team also tries to emphasise the benefits of non-consumption. They want to educate people that a shark in the water contributes much more to the ocean economy than one that has been caught and sold at a once-off price of R8/kg.
The sharks in the area are attracted to the large seal colony on Dyer Island, but they are not the region’s only inhabitants that are at risk. The Dyer Island ecosystem is also the home of the critically endangered African Penguin.
Leading conservation efforts of the African penguin
It is estimated that at least 90 African penguins have died every week over the last 30 years, and the conservation trust is trying to reverse the damage and avoid the extinction path that the African Penguin is on in the wild. As part of the African Penguin Nesting Project, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust replaced heavily exploited penguin nesting sites with artificial nests. During the mid-1800s and early 1900s, guano was harvested en masse from offshore islands and sold as fertiliser.
“The penguins now struggle to burrow into the hard, rocky substrate on Dyer Island and other colonies, and have been forced to nest on the surface,” explains Chivell. “This leaves their eggs and chicks exposed to predation by Kelp Gulls, and vulnerable to other environmental influences.”
The project, which originally started on Dyer Island in partnership with CapeNature, has since expanded to include the placement of over 2 000 nests in key colonies including Boulders, Stony Point and Ichaboe in Namibia.
But even this wasn’t enough for Chivell. Tourists now also have access to the African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary that was established in 2015. It’s a safe haven for injured or abandoned seabirds and penguins — a halfway house where they are rehabilitated before being released back into the wild.
An investment worth protecting
Chivell says the South African government has unlocked investments in the oceans economy amounting to around R18-billion since the inception of Operation Phakisa. This project, which was approved by cabinet in 2014, prioritises six growth areas that contribute to unlocking the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans, based on their potential contribution to economic growth and job creation.
According to Chivell, more than 4 500 jobs have been created in the sector to date. “Ecotourism is thus a way of sustainably using the oceans for income generation, job creation, educational projects and to fund conservation efforts,” he says. His company alone provides work to 111 people.
For Chivell and his team at Marine Dynamics, conservation through ecotourism is as easy — and as necessary — as breathing: “For some, the ocean is a resource and for some a place of healing. For others it’s about conservation and protection. Surprisingly, people rarely mention oxygen. To me, this is my life!” — Marlinée Fouché
The world is facing a climate crisis of unprecedented proportions, and ocean ecosystems have been especially susceptible to the massive environmental damage that industrialisation has caused. A report by the World Economic Forum (WEF) states: “For millennia, we have taken the oceans’ bounty for granted. Ocean resources have been largely out of sight and so, out of mind. We have extracted resources and dumped waste with confidence that the oceans were inexhaustible. Yet, today we are running up against the oceans’ limits.”
With the rise of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) there might be a ray of hope. Could the damage that has been done by technological advances be reversed by the same phenomenon? According to the WEF, 4IR offers maritime industries the opportunity to not only advance through the use of technology, but also through the gathering of data, which can help the ocean become more sustainable and profitable.
For the marine data experts at OceanWise, 4IR offers geospatial industries the chance to use data in ways that could benefit society in the long run. “We are increasingly challenging the way data is collected and stored, shared and exchanged in the innovative applications being developed,” the organisation says. “As everything happens somewhere, treating data as ‘infrastructure’ is vitally important, just like our road system or power supply.”
WEF experts agree, reporting that 4IR is “first and foremost a data revolution” that can solve many issues that the oceans face. “In combination with other fourth industrial revolution innovations such as biotechnologies, distributed ledgers and robots, the digital ocean will have profound implications for every aspect of the ocean challenges humanity faces.”
The fishing industry is one of the most lucrative of the maritime industries.According to the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the fishing industry makes up 5% of the provincial GDP, and has insured assets worth a whopping R100-billion. It is also an industry plagued by issues such as declining stock of species, illegal activity like poaching, and tense community dynamics with small and large residential fisheries.
The problem of illegal fishing is not just confined to South Africa as it is reported that 20% of global fish catch is illegal or unregulated, and costs governments and legal fisheries up to $23-billion per year. Fortunately technological advancements mean new and effective ways to combat illegal fishing exist, through the use of 5G and mesh networks to monitor and stop illegal fishing and monitor stock. The WEF says buyers can also better manage their supply chains through DNA barcoding, which allows for rapid identification of seafood in trade by matching fish products to a standardised genetic library for all fish species.
The issue of ocean pollution and its effect on the natural habitats of fish and other sea creatures is another problem that 4IR tech could help with. Scientists predict that the ocean will have more plastic than fish in 2050, and that underwater habitats are also facing danger. Some deep-sea floor systems may take centuries to recover from the damage that unnecessary development has caused. The use of drones and other existing technologies are being tailored with the intent to restore damaged ecosystems by planting mangroves.
Data and the integration of machine learning and advanced sensors can help reduce pollution in the oceans by better regulating the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture. These innovations are just some of the tools that geocentric industries such as the maritime industry can use, and the importance of deciphering these technologies is growing exponentially.
According to OceanWise researchers: “We need to embrace a comprehensive and globally shared view of how technology is affecting our lives and reshaping our economic, social, cultural, and human environments rather than continuing to operate with a ‘silo’ mentality.”
The WEF report leaves readers with a final warning: “The innovations of the fourth industrial revolution create new possibilities for all stakeholders. Ungoverned, these innovations could accelerate degradation. It is urgent that we find ways both to exploit the potential of the fourth industrial revolution and to manage the risks.” — Wessel Krige
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