Transnet in the dock for accidentally spray painting a R150m yacht

Transnet faces a R2.5m damages claim after a new vessel was showered with paint billowing out of the Robinson dry dock at the Port of Cape Town

28 October 2018 - 00:00 By BOBBY JORDAN

You'd think it would be obvious: don't spray-paint a ship in a howling gale next to a R150m superyacht.
But national port regulator Transnet faces a R2.5m damages claim from one of the world's top boat-builders, Southern Wind, after one of its new vessels was showered with paint billowing out of the Robinson dry dock at the Port of Cape Town.
The claim has yet to be settled, 18 months after the alleged incident when the super yacht was sitting on the Eastern Pier inside the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront.
"We are getting ready to take them to court, although it seems they might come up with a settlement," said Albert del Cinque, South African yard manager for Southern Wind, this week.
He said the damaged boat was a 31.4m Southern Wind 96 high-performance cruiser - one of the most expensive boats to be built in SA.
The "over-spray" occurred as a result of an anti-fouling operation on two trawlers in the dry dock, Del Cinque said.
"You could see the cloud [of spray] as it was blown over. It is unacceptable," he said.
"The owner was here in Cape Town - he witnessed the whole drama. It was horrible. We had to send teams of people to try and mitigate the damage, and we ended up respraying the boat in Italy.
"Our claim is in respect of all the damages caused by the over-spray to hull, deck, superstructures, mast and boom."
Southern Wind, based in the northern Italian city of Genoa, has used a yard in SA since it was founded in 1991. Its custom yachts are among the world's best.
An exhibitor at last weekend's Cape Town International Boat Show told the Sunday Times there was widespread unhappiness about the state of Transnet's dry-dock operations in Cape Town.
Crucial infrastructure is broken and a vessel was damaged during a major mishap at the Duncan dry dock when a caisson (watertight chamber) gate failed.
However, the state-owned company insists it is undertaking essential upgrades, and recently detailed a seven-year, R56bn development plan across all of SA's ports as part of the government's Operation Phakisa, a job-creation initiative in the maritime sector.
Under Phakisa, R615m has been earmarked for essential upgrades to Cape Town port, including dry docks and cranes used for ship repair.
Transnet did not respond to queries this week...

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