TRANSNET National Ports Authority (TNPA) marked a milestone 20 years of investment in maritime education with port open days to spark further maritime interest among Grade 9 and 10 learners across coastal communities.
World Maritime Day is celebrated globally on the last Thursday of September and, in South African ports this year it saw more than 1,000 learners from various township schools receive exposure in maritime education and careers. Aligned to the 2025 theme – Our Ocean, Our Obligation, Our Opportunity – the port open days are designed to steer pupils towards maritime opportunities by taking up maritime subjects such as Maritime Economics, Nautical Science and Maritime Science. These subjects are considered critical to support global commerce, ocean economy advancement and ensuring a sustainable future for the global shipping industry.
This initiative is premised on TNPA’s intention to create shared value by building a pipeline of future mariners through the creation of maritime career paths and the enhancement of marine education.
Partnership
TNPA’s partnership with Lawhill Maritime Centre started in 2005. Over the last two decades, this investment has benefitted 140 learners by covering tuition, boarding and extracurricular activities. Fourteen of these beneficiaries are now employed by TNPA as trained tug masters, while others are working in diverse sectors across the country. The 2025 Lawhill intake includes 15 TNPA bursary holders from disadvantaged backgrounds.
A lifetime commitment
According to the state-owned ports authority, it is committed to nurturing young minds and promoting educational excellence and influencing the introduction of maritime subjects in the curriculum of township high schools. To date, a total of 25 schools across the port cities are benefiting from this drive. The Eastern Cape boasts a total of seven high schools – five in Gqeberha and two in East London.
Meanwhile KwaZulu-Natal has 17 schools with five located in Richards Bay and 12 in Durban.
“As a responsible corporate citizen, TNPA is dedicated to making meaningful investments in communities in which we operate, with the primary objective of contributing to sustainable socio-economic development. One of such sustainable initiatives are exactly these Port Open Days, nurturing young minds today to sustain marine resources in the future,” said Phyllis Difeto, acting TNPA chief executive.
