| Langebaan and Struisbaai fishers granted permits | |
Artisanal net fishers from the Langebaan and Struisbaai areas have been granted permits to fish by the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries after a protracted court battle, says a Cape Times report. Judge Nathan Erasmus said an order had been made by agreement between the parties to give permits to 41 fishers, who could demonstrate historical dependence and reliance on net fishing. Said Erasmus: 'This order will stand pending the promulgation, implementation and rights allocation in terms of a new policy framework that would accommodate traditional artisanal net fishers in an effective and comprehensive manner...' The parties would report progress about the finalisation of the policy, including the draft, which was to be circulated by 31 July. The report notes the fishers applied to the High Court after the department had failed to provide relief packages after the original application to the court in December 2004. According to court papers, that application was instituted to counter 'unfair discrimination' against artisanal fishers when they were not included in the Marine Living Resources Act. |
Showing posts with label cape west coast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cape west coast. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Langebaan and Struisbaai fishers granted permits
Monday, February 22, 2010
Darling on the West Coast hosts Adenco 400 race
Competitors hoping to gently ease into a new season will be in for a rude surprise at the Adenco 400, the opening event of this year’s Absa Off Road Championship, in the Western Cape on 19 and 20 March.
The event, again based in Darling on the West Coast, is now in its eight year and the organisers have found new bits to add to an already tough challenge. Over the years the route has undergone various changes but, in keeping with a request from the MSA Off Road Car Racing Commission that events should be technical, this year’s race will be an even tougher challenge.
“Last year we managed to reduce average speeds by a considerable margin and the leading cars completed the course in just under six hours,” said route director Bill Bright from the Cape Peninsula Motorcycle and Car Club. “We have again had great co-operation from landowners and some new bits and pieces have allowed us to introduce some additional hurdles.
“The race will again be run over two 165 kilometre loops, and the changes should reduce speeds. We estimate it will take the lead cars more than six hours to complete the course, and I think we have succeeded in coming up with a route that is both challenging and interesting.”
The Donaldson Prologue on March 19 to determine start positions for the next day’s race will start at 13:30 from the Darling Sports Club. Donaldson Filtration Systems which last year backed the highly successful Donaldson Nissan team, has joined Ford and Toyota as partners with Absa in the off road championship, and will sponsor all eight prologues this season.
The 96 kilometre prologue will provide competitors with an inkling of what they can expect during the race, and will take crews towards Kraalbosdam on the R315 to Yzerfontein. With good grid positions a high priority for race success, Donaldson Prologues this season are going to provide for some hectic racing.
The race on March 20 will start and finish at the Darling Sports Club. The designated service point will also be located at the club with the route again spectator friendly.
“There are plenty of good spectator viewing points along the prologue and race routes,” said Bright. “These are all within easy reach of the start/finish and are accessible via main roads.”
- Credit: MSA Off-Road Racing Commission
The event, again based in Darling on the West Coast, is now in its eight year and the organisers have found new bits to add to an already tough challenge. Over the years the route has undergone various changes but, in keeping with a request from the MSA Off Road Car Racing Commission that events should be technical, this year’s race will be an even tougher challenge.
“Last year we managed to reduce average speeds by a considerable margin and the leading cars completed the course in just under six hours,” said route director Bill Bright from the Cape Peninsula Motorcycle and Car Club. “We have again had great co-operation from landowners and some new bits and pieces have allowed us to introduce some additional hurdles.
“The race will again be run over two 165 kilometre loops, and the changes should reduce speeds. We estimate it will take the lead cars more than six hours to complete the course, and I think we have succeeded in coming up with a route that is both challenging and interesting.”
The Donaldson Prologue on March 19 to determine start positions for the next day’s race will start at 13:30 from the Darling Sports Club. Donaldson Filtration Systems which last year backed the highly successful Donaldson Nissan team, has joined Ford and Toyota as partners with Absa in the off road championship, and will sponsor all eight prologues this season.
The 96 kilometre prologue will provide competitors with an inkling of what they can expect during the race, and will take crews towards Kraalbosdam on the R315 to Yzerfontein. With good grid positions a high priority for race success, Donaldson Prologues this season are going to provide for some hectic racing.
The race on March 20 will start and finish at the Darling Sports Club. The designated service point will also be located at the club with the route again spectator friendly.
“There are plenty of good spectator viewing points along the prologue and race routes,” said Bright. “These are all within easy reach of the start/finish and are accessible via main roads.”
- Credit: MSA Off-Road Racing Commission
News sponsored by West Coast Office National for all your printing & stationery needs.www.pencil.co.za
Friday, February 19, 2010
Explosives to break up barge carrier in Jacobs Bay
By Melanie Gosling
Environment Writer
The wreck of the massive barge carrier Margaret, which towers over Jacobs Bay like a block of flats, will be broken up using explosives in a controlled demolition operation that will topple its cargo of smaller barges into the sea.
This is the sad end to what was a brand-new barge carrier when it ran aground on June 24 after the tug towing the vessel lost the tow connection in a storm near Saldanha Bay.
The barge carrier, which stands about eight storeys high, and its cargo of 12 river barges and two floating dry docks, were valued at around e30 million (about R300m). When it went aground, the vessel, which has no engines, was being towed from the shipyard in China where it was built to its owner in Rotterdam.
Environment Writer
The wreck of the massive barge carrier Margaret, which towers over Jacobs Bay like a block of flats, will be broken up using explosives in a controlled demolition operation that will topple its cargo of smaller barges into the sea.
This is the sad end to what was a brand-new barge carrier when it ran aground on June 24 after the tug towing the vessel lost the tow connection in a storm near Saldanha Bay.
The barge carrier, which stands about eight storeys high, and its cargo of 12 river barges and two floating dry docks, were valued at around e30 million (about R300m). When it went aground, the vessel, which has no engines, was being towed from the shipyard in China where it was built to its owner in Rotterdam.
The Dutch owner spent about R21m trying to salvage the vessel, but got nowhere. After running out of money, he was forced to abandon the Margaret, which then became the responsibility of the South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa).
Debbie James of Samsa said on Thursday they were concerned that if they left the Margaret, it would become a safety hazard as the waves would weaken and break up the structure, and so had instructed the salvors Smit Amandla Marine to remove the wreck.
Taxpayers will foot the bill. Any of the barges or dry docks that are saved will be sold by Samsa to defer costs.
Kevin Tate, salvage master at Smit Amandla Marine, said they were not going to blow up the wreck, as had been done with the Jolly Rubino on the Zululand coast.
"This will be a sequential blast to undermine the structure so it will topple. We'll use a total of 125kg of explosives at a time with a 42 millisecond delay in between, so you'll get a ripple effect instead of one massive blast. One big blast would blow out windows but this won't. There will be lots of water and spray and a bit of flame and smoke," Tate said.
On Tuesday the salvage team cut away the wall of the top dry dock, which has to be removed to allow four of the river barges to slide into the sea after the blast. The 91 ton steel wall, which caused a 30m-high splash when it landed, has been towed to Saldanha Bay and sold.
"The top four barges are in good condition and can probably be saved," Tate said.
Preparation work included plugging the dewatering holes in the barges and cutting the fastenings that secure them.
The explosion will take place at the end of the month.
Everyone within 500m of the wreck will be evacuated an hour before the explosion and the access road to Jacobs Bay will be closed three hours before the blast.
Debbie James of Samsa said on Thursday they were concerned that if they left the Margaret, it would become a safety hazard as the waves would weaken and break up the structure, and so had instructed the salvors Smit Amandla Marine to remove the wreck.
Taxpayers will foot the bill. Any of the barges or dry docks that are saved will be sold by Samsa to defer costs.
Kevin Tate, salvage master at Smit Amandla Marine, said they were not going to blow up the wreck, as had been done with the Jolly Rubino on the Zululand coast.
"This will be a sequential blast to undermine the structure so it will topple. We'll use a total of 125kg of explosives at a time with a 42 millisecond delay in between, so you'll get a ripple effect instead of one massive blast. One big blast would blow out windows but this won't. There will be lots of water and spray and a bit of flame and smoke," Tate said.
On Tuesday the salvage team cut away the wall of the top dry dock, which has to be removed to allow four of the river barges to slide into the sea after the blast. The 91 ton steel wall, which caused a 30m-high splash when it landed, has been towed to Saldanha Bay and sold.
"The top four barges are in good condition and can probably be saved," Tate said.
Preparation work included plugging the dewatering holes in the barges and cutting the fastenings that secure them.
The explosion will take place at the end of the month.
Everyone within 500m of the wreck will be evacuated an hour before the explosion and the access road to Jacobs Bay will be closed three hours before the blast.
Source www.iol.co.za
News sponsored by West Coast Office National for all your printing & stationery needs.www.pencil.co.za
$1.2-billion refinery for the West Coast. Saldanha Bay
One of four selected coastal areas in South Africa stands to be home to the world's first integrated pure metals refinery plant producing titanium, zirconium, magnesium and silicon, upon completion of the feasibility study.
Rare Metals Industry is a consortium made up of the multi-billion-rand National Empowerment Fund, the IDC, Magnesium and Metals (a US and Russian consortium) and TJTI, another locally-based company.
The consortium members have jointly invested about R40-million to conclude a pre-feasibility study.
Speaking at the launch of the project in Johannesburg yesterday, RMI's project chairman Donovan Chimhandamba said the $1.2-billion project would create 2800 skilled jobs during its construction phase and in excess of 5000 jobs once the plant becomes operational in 2014.
He said the potential locations for the plant include Saldanha Bay, East London, Port Elizabeth and Richards Bay.
"In addition, a much-needed skills transfer is likely to occur through our Russian partnership, further strengthening South African mining know-how and long-term sustainability," Chimhandamba said.
He said South Africa was best suited for the project as it possessed an "abundance" of mineral resources and because of its ranking as the world's second-largest producer of titanium slag after China.
Chimhandamba said titanium is difficult and expensive to produce, and would be useful in high-technology industries such as aero-space, nuclear and chemical processes. "It is envisaged that at full operational capacity, the plant will produce 50000 tons of magnesium, 15000 tons of titanium, 8000 tons of silicon and 2000 tons of zirconium annually, coupled with some derivative products.
"The other identified importance of the project to South Africa is that it will increase the country's export-earning potential as well as BBBEE participation at an early stage," he said.
Hilton Lazarus, IDC's head of chemical industries said his corporation supported the initiative "because of the strategic nature of beneficiating locally mined minerals as outlined in the National Industrial Policy Framework".
Source http://www.iol.co.za
News sponsored by West Coast Office National for all your printing & stationery needs.www.pencil.co.za
Monday, February 15, 2010
Saldanha Bay on South Africa’s west coast is the preferred site for titanium processing plant
Feb. 12 (Bloomberg) -- Rare Metals Industries Ltd., a venture with South African, Russian and U.S. investors, said it may list shares to fund a titanium processing plant costing as much as $1.5 billion.
“It could be an attractive option,” RMI’s Project Chairman, Donovan Chimhandamba, said by phone from Johannesburg today. Chimhandamba also works for the strategic project fund at South Africa’s National Empowerment Fund, one of the partners in the planned titanium project along with the country’s state lender, the Industrial Development Corp. Magnesium and Metals Ltd. and TJTI Ltd. are the other partners.
The plant would use Russian technology to produce titanium, zirconium, magnesium and other metals, Chimhandamba said. A local plant would allow South Africa to export processed metals rather than the raw metals currently shipped by companies including Rio Tinto Plc and Exxaro Resources Ltd., he said.
South Africa’s government is pushing companies to add value to commodities before they’re exported to boost income from the nation’s natural resources. Titanium prices are “exorbitantly high” at the moment as supplies are insufficient to meet demand, according to Chimhandamba.
The investors have committed 50 million rand ($6.5 million) to pay for a prefeasibility study that may be completed in six to eight months, while developing a funding model could take 18 to 36 months, Chimhandamba said. The preferred site for the project is near Saldanha Bay on South Africa’s west coast.
Titanium is increasingly being used in industries such as aerospace and defense because it is “as strong as steel and light as aluminum,” Chimhandamba said.
Source www.bloomberg.com
News sponsored by West Coast Office National for all your printing & stationery needs.www.pencil.co.za
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Abalone House, Paternoster on the Cape West Coast.
Ian and Lise Manley have won the public relations accounts for the annual Riebeek Valley Olive Festival as well as Abalone House, a new five-star boutique guest house in Paternoster on the Cape West Coast.
The Manley’s will represent the Riebeek Valley Olive Festival for both 2010 and 2011. Now in its 10th year, the 2010 Riebeek Valley Olive Festival will be held from 30 April to 2 May. It is undisputedly the largest festival in South Africa devoted to the hallowed olive but is also an opportunity to sample wines, especially the Shiraz varietal from the many established estates as well as local farm produce found in the Riebeek Valley.
Located in the quaint fisherman village of Paternoster, Abalone House, opens this month and boasts 10 magnificent suites, designed around a tranquil, central courtyard. Eight of the rooms have sweeping sea views and many have intimate outdoor relaxation areas. There’s even a rooftop Jacuzzi, with a panoramic sea view, or cool off in the elegant swimming pool, surrounded by a colourful potted garden.
Manley Communications is a Perception Management Consultancy. Under the leadership of Ian and Lise Manley, the company represents luxury hotels, fine-dining restaurants and exclusive wine estates in South Africa.
Source www.travelwires.com
News sponsored by West Coast Office National for all your printing & stationery needs.www.pencil.co.za
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