Members of the media are invited to join the Minister of Transport Honourable Dikobe Ben Martins and the MEC for Transport in the Eastern Cape Ms Thandiswa Marawu to celebrate World Maritime Day on Thursday, 27 September 2012. Minister Martins will give a keynote address during the celebrations.
The celebrations will include key maritime industry stakeholders in order to recognise the significant contribution the maritime industry plays towards the economy but also to encourage further development and investment opportunities.
The highlights of the International Maritime Day will include a tour to the Port of Ngqura by schools from previously disadvantaged communities with the objective of creating awareness about career opportunities in the maritime industry.
In commemoration of the Titanic that went aground 100 years ago, high schools from the Motherwell area in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, namely Newell, Cingani, Douglas Mbopha and Coselelani will participate in a competition involving a variety of criteria such as:
- Ship designing
- Essay writing
- Drama
- An art competition
World Maritime Day is also celebrated to highlight the importance of shipping safety, maritime security, the marine environment and to emphasize particular aspects of the International Maritime Organisation's (IMO) work.
The South African Navy will form part of the celebrations of the day and learners from the participating schools will become beneficiaries of bursaries offered by the maritime industry.
The details of the event are as follows:
Date: Thursday, 27 September 2012
Time: 9h30 for 10h00
Venue:Summerstrand Hotel, Port Elizabeth
All media are invited to attend. Journalists attending must confirm their attendance with Sello Tshipi on 012 309 3846 / 073 498 6722, or on Tshipia@dot.gov.za by no later than 14h00 Wednesday 26 September 2012.
Enquiries:
Sam Monareng
Cell: 071 872 0744
