Heritage Cases

The foghorn is an audible navigation aid and it primary function is to warn the shipping of the dangers in the area when the fog is intense and the visibility is extremely bad.. It has its own unique sound character which is linked to Robben Island. The past 18 months we have encountered numerous faults with the supply cable which has been operation for over 40 years (past operational lifespan). Lighthouse and Navigational Systems who are responsible for all the Navigations aids along the coast of South Africa are tasked with having it operational for 99.8 % of the time (global Standards) to prevent any grounding of ships and loss of life at sea using the navigational lanes within the area of Robben Island. The risk has now increased with the cable malfunctioning more frequently. The Foghorn building will be repainted with the exact same colours and the asbestos sheeting remove and replaced with Nutec concrete cement sheets. Same design as the sheets which we used. No structural changes to the building. The purpose of aid to navigational maintenance is, (as with Electro-mechanical maintenance and any other form of maintenance) to plan and execute maintenance to these categories of assets to ensure safe passage of vessels along the coast of South Africa and in all the South African Ports as stipulated in the National Ports Act. It is vital that operational reliability of navigational aids is achieved to ensure the safety of Shipping, cargo and crew: harbour infrastructure and personnel in general. Lighthouse and Navigational Systems must meet the requirements of the International Marine Organization (IMO) and also adhere to the standards of the International Authority of the Lighthouse Association (IALA) which requires the availability of all Aids to Navigation at ninety nine point eight percent (99.8%). The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has jurisdiction over all safety relating matters at sea whereas Lighthouse and Navigation Systems must operate and maintain Lighthouses and other navigational aids under its control in terms of standards determined by the South African Maritime Safety Authority in order to assist the navigational of vessels within port limits and along the coast of the Republic (Section 78. (1)) National Ports Act 2005.