As there is a time difference between South Africa and Australia, someone living in South Africa who wants to watch a televised cricket match in Australia will have to get up very early in the morning. A match in Sydney (Australia) may start at 11:00 Sydney time, but in South Africa it is 01:00. Because…
Lines of longitude run from the North Pole to the South Pole. They are “labeled” from the Greenwich Meridian which has the value of 0˚. Lines of Longitude on the eastern side (to the right) of the Greenwich Meridian increase in value until 180˚ E. Lines of Longitude on the western side (to the left)…
When ships come into harbour, or leave a harbour, they require assistance to manouevre in the restricted harbour area. Therefore, harbour tugs have developed over the years to help ships turn, to push them carefully against a wharf when berthing, or to tow them away from that wharf when the ships are ready to leave…
These are passenger-carrying vessels that link islands with the mainland or they link ports across a sea or gulf. Examples of these are the passenger-carrying vessels that link Britain with France (across the English Channel or Straits of Dover) or with other European ports across the North Sea. Dozens of ferries operate among the Greek…
Passengers are carried as part of the following types of shipping operation : Point-to-point passenger services Cruise Ships Point-to-point passenger services These services involve passenger ships operating from designated ports to other designated ports. In the South African context, the Union-Castle Line (officially known as Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company) was the best-known as the company…
The sea produces millions of tons of food each year, and employs millions of people worldwide. Fishing vessels have a variety of designs, depending on the type of fish that they will catch and the length of time they will be at sea. These vessels range from large, well-equipped stern trawlers (some are 120 metres…
When large, heavy items need to be transported, a specialised heavylift ship can be used. These items could be a large oil rig, platforms used in the offshore oil industry, large pieces of machinery, cranes, and sometimes, even some small ships need to be transported. For floating objects (e.g. oil rigs, floating platforms), the specialised…
Multi-purpose ships are designed to carry a number of types of cargo : Bulk Cargoes (e.g. grain, or minerals) Neo-bulk Cargoes (e.g. blocks of granite; steel bars; rolls of paper) Containers (on deck or perhaps in a specially designed hold) Break-bulk Cargoes (e.g. bags of rice; boxes of vehicle parts; bales of wool; machinery;…
The first consignment of export fruit from South Africa left Cape Town in 1889 but it arrived in Britain in an inferior condition and had to be destroyed. Three years later, the first successful shipment of South African export fruit arrived in the UK in good condition. The ship that carried this fruit had a…
A Note for Teachers Welcome to the MaritimeSA website that has been made possible through generous sponsorship by African Marine Solutions (AMSOL), the well-known South African company that specialises in salvage and towing operations, as well as ship management, bunkering and offshore services. We hope that the website will help you in your preparation to…
