Port of Durban appoints first female deputy harbour master

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has appointed Port of Durban’s first black female deputy harbour master – nautical, effective May 1.

Pinky Zungu, who was one of the first three women in Africa to obtain a marine pilot open licence in 2011, would now be tasked with managing marine pilots, incident management, safety control measures and liaising with the dredging department, besides others.

She was selected by TNPA as a development candidate in 2001, obtained her open licence ten years later and then piloted what was, at the time, the largest container vessel to visit South Africa’s shores, the MSC Chicago.

“After her cadetship, Pinky completed a compulsory oral examination with the South African Maritime Safety Authority to obtain a Class 3 ticket to be a junior deck officer responsible for autopiloting vessels and managing safety equipment,” TNPA highlighted in a statement on Thursday.

After working as a tug master at TNPA, she completed a one-year pilot training programme to qualify as a junior pilot before progressing through the various licence grades, starting with smaller ships of around 16 000 t, then 20 000 t, 25 000 t and 35 000 t before qualifying for her open licence.

“I have the technical hands-on experience to provide guidance and assurance. From this position, I will also have an overall view of what is required to ensure safe operations,” Zungu said.