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The SA Martime Safety Authority says South Africa needs 300 of its own registered merchant ships to optimally serve its trade needs.
Samsa CEO, Sobantu Tilayi, says South Africa has only one vessel on its shipping register, which is a research vessel, even though about 98% of the country's export and imports move by sea.
Speaking on the fringes of the SAMSA conference in Cape Town, Tilayi said South Africa needed a "mix" of liquid and dry bulk carriers, as well as general cargo coastal vessels to service the African market.
