Africa-Press – Namibia. DEBMARINE Namibia managing director Otto Shikongo says its newly acquired diamond recovery vessel, the AMV3, sustained damage about a month ago in a collision with a structure in the Cape Town Harbour.
The incident, which only came to light last week, is currently under investigation, he says. Sources claim the vessel hit a harbour quay, which resulted in a gash of several metres long in the hull of the vessel.
The damage was, however, above the water line and work could continue safely to prepare it for commissioning in Namibia’s offshore diamond mining fields, the sources say.
Shikongo says the damage to the vessel was repaired in the meantime, and that the vessel is currently in the mining block offshore Oranjemund, along with the existing fleet of offshore mining vessels in the Debmarine stall.
The vessel will soon sail to Walvis Bay for a quayside christening ceremony, a tradition Debmarine also followed with the SS Nujoma, in 2017. Shikongo says despite the accident and subsequent repairs, the commissioning of the vessel remains on schedule.
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