All hands on deck as SA Agulhas sets sail from Bay

The South African Maritime Safety Authority’s (Samsa) dedicated mega training vessel, the SA Agulhas I, is today [Thursday] setting sail from the Port of Port Elizabeth to Cape Town on a two-week charter before going out to sea to equip 20 new cadets with rigorous on-the-job training experience.

The SA Agulhas - also known as an icebreaker - has undergone two months of maintenance and major paintwork to prepare her for its latest research mission.

The work of the vessel, which is more than 100m in length, include regular visits to South Africa's base in Antarctica, as well as other research stations.

The 41-year-old former polar research vessel has undertaken more than 10 missions to Antarctica.

The South African International Maritime Institute (SAIMI) is responsible for the cadet training programme on board the vessel. 

The SA Agulhas open sea voyage of the corps of South African male and female cadets is a compulsory on-board training before they can qualify as deck and engineering officers.