Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has completed a major upgrade of its dry dock facilities as part of South Africa’s Operation Phakisa programme. Over R200m was invested to replace and standardise all 37 capstans at the Durban and Cape Town ports, aiming to boost productivity and enhance ship repair operations.
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A capstan is a driven machine used in dry dock operations, constructed and installed to assist in the warping of vessels and to amplify the pulling force of the marine crew when hauling ropes.
Project justification and technological advances
TNPA initiated the replacement project following a condition assessment that identified a need to upgrade all capstans due to frequent breakdowns, ageing, and unavailability of maintenance spares.
The new capstans are equipped with hydraulic systems and Human Machine Interface (HMI), a novel feature, demonstrating TNPA's ability to leverage technology to enhance operational efficiency in line with maritime industry best practices.
The associated electrical upgrades which now have the electrical connections in parallel, will eliminate the previous series connection which resulted in multiple outages, causing issues such as breakdowns leading to complete system shutdowns and halted production.
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Strategic impact on the ocean economy
"The implementation of the Operation Phakisa programme provides strategic business value for ports, with marine manufacturing and ship repair facilities being identified as focal areas of the Ocean Economy to unlock Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment creation.
"The primary goal of our ongoing infrastructure investment is to increase competitiveness and deliver improved ship repair facilities, which results in increased levels of productivity in marine operations," said Adv. Phyllis Difeto, acting TNPA chief executive.
TNPA is already realising the benefits of the upgraded capstans. In July 2024, the Port of Durban’s Price Edward Dry Dock marked its first historic milestone by docking a record-breaking five marine crafts for the first time since its construction in the 1920s. The dock reached its maximum capacity of 350m in length.
These rotating machines, which assist in pulling the vessels into position inside the dock, are being replaced in the Port of Cape Town at various locations and are divided into 12 at Sturrock Dry Dock, 10 at Robinson Dry Dock, and seven at Synchrolift, and Port of Durban’s Prince Edward Dry Dock made up of eight capstans.
