"We're now 420 nautical miles west of the Kunene River mouth and edging closer to the homeland," wrote Captain Freddie Ligthelm in his blog this week.
"We've slowed our progress a bit to keep within our arrival schedule," said Ligthelm, who is overseeing delivery of the multi-purpose ship on behalf of the Department of Environmental Affairs.
The ship - which succeeds the 35-year-old SA Agulhas - was handed over by shipbuilding company STX Finland earlier this month after completing sea and ice trials in the northern Baltic. The ship set sail for Cape Town on her maiden voyage on Good Friday.
According to Ligthelm, the crew have "really taken the vessel through her paces to make sure all her functionalities are working without any glitches".
"At one stage ... we were cruising at 18 knots while testing the full sea-going and ice modes," he wrote. "Other than a couple of leaks and an electronic device here or there, we have not had any major problems ... touch wood."
Construction of the ship began in February last year. Described as very successful, the sea and ice trials in March formed part of a multimillion-rand international study into ice-going vessels and their hull design.
While not an ice-breaker, the ship has a strengthened hull that can rip through ice one metre thick at a speed of five knots.
The ship will be used as a supply vessel for SA's Antarctic, Gough and Marion islands research stations, and as a passenger ship between Cape Town and Tristan da Cunha. It will also ply the southern seas on oceanographic and atmospheric research missions.
Measuring 134m by 22m, it can accommodate 100 passengers and 44 crew. It has cargo capacity of 4 000m². Facilities and equipment include 14 science labs, two Oryx helicopters, advanced satellite communications and deep-water probes that can reach 6000m.
The ship's first official working voyage will be to Gough Island in the South Atlantic in September.
"The new ship is much more advanced, stronger and faster, and can stay at sea for 300 days before she needs to dock again for refuelling," said Adriaan Dreyer, assistant director of the Antarctica and islands division of the DEA.
"Her capabilities will reduce the time required to sail in and out of the Antarctic, thereby saving costs. We'll also have more time at the various stations to carry out our tasks."
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