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Safmarine
(South Africa Marine Corporation Ltd) (Est. 1946) |
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 Safmarine was formed in 1946 by South African industrialists and American shipowners. In 1966 Safmarine became joint operators of the mail service from Southampton to South Africa with Union-Castle Line. As a result the Union-Castle ships Pretoria Castle and Transvaal Castle were transferred to Safmarine and, ultimately, the South African Flag. They became respectively S.A. Oranje and S.A. Vaal, and were painted in Safmarine colours. In 1973 British & Commonwealth Shipping Co. and Safmarine combined their operations under the name International Liner Services Ltd in October 1973. They also agreed that the Europe to South Africa services would be containerised in 1977. In 1975 the run down of weekly mail service began with withdrawal of S.A. Oranje (ex- Pretoria Castle). Departed Southampton 19th September 1975 for the breakers. In 1977 S.A. Vaal (ex Transvaal Castle) closed out her career with a final arrival at Southampton on 10th October 1977. She sailed to Japan to be rebuilt for a new career as Festivale with Carnival Cruise Lines on 29th October. Sadly she was eventually scrapped in 2003 in Alang, India. Thus ended Safmarine's mailship service in partnership with Union-Castle Line. The old mailships were replaced by "The Big Whites" container ships on the Europe to South Africa run. In 1996 Safmarine acquired Compagnie Maritime Belge (Belgian Line) and moved its headquarters to Antwerp in Belgium. In 1999, Safmarine was bought by the Danish shipping company A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, and Maersk chose to retain the Safmarine brand rather than integrating it wholly into Maersk Sealand (now Maersk Line). In 2002, Safmarine acquired Torm Lines. After almost 30 years of flawless service, the original four ‘Big Whites’ - the SA Helderberg, SA Winterberg, SA Sederberg and SA Waterberg (presently Maersk Constantia) - were retired from the Safmarine fleet during 2007/2008. Safmarine was sad to bid farewell to these reliable ships which have served South Africa, Safmarine and our valued customers well for three decades. It was noted that those four ships, along with sister ships from other lines, were deployed on the South Africa-Europe trade for 25 years and that it is unusual to have ships deployed together for this length of time on a single trade lane. In many ways, these ships had become synonymous with the spirit of Safmarine and they were therefore sad to see them go. However, it was important that Safmarine, in the interests of providing a leading shipping service - and owning and maintaining a modern fleet - invested in new, more technologically-advanced and environmentally-friendly ships. As a result they are to be replaced by seven new "Big Whites" ships in 2008. These seven ships are to be owned by Safmarine with a further two being chartered. The old "Big Whites" including SA Helderberg and her sister ships – all built in French yards in the 70s – boasted several features not commonly found in cargo ships at the time. These features included stabilisers, twin engines, air conditioning and extensive capacity for perishable cargo. Their high standard of building - coupled with Safmarine’s policy of ongoing, onboard preventative maintenance and scheduled dry-docking - ensured their exceptional reliability and longevity. Early in their careers, the ships were affectionately named ‘Big Whites’ because of their large size and their gleaming white hulls which reflected the bright South African sunshine on their regular port calls in South Africa. Today Safmarine is a well known and respected name in international shipping. The company has grown significantly since its formation in 1946 and is today one of the leading north / south operators offering container and breakbulk shipping services to many parts of the world from South Africa. Widely acknowledged as a north / south trade and Africa specialist, Safmarine is expanding its services into the east / west trade lanes, with many new trade routes having been added to its service network since becoming part of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group. Safmarine www.safmarine.com A.P. Moller-Maersk Group www.maersk.com |