South Africa's maritime industry continues to experience significant growth and investment. With its strategic location on major international shipping routes, coupled with traffic volumes increasing in recent years as shipowners opt to avoid Red Sea transits, as well as the ongoing government initiatives to improve port infrastructure, the country is poised to become a more prominent player in global shipping. South Africa's legal system has been shaped by British maritime law, providing an established and trusted jurisdiction.
This growth, however, comes with a need for enhanced technical expertise, incident response, and specialised mariner and marine engineering services.
With over 25 years of experience in maritime, including a distinguished career as a chief engineer on petrochemical tankers and a technical superintendent, Brendon George brings a wealth of practical engineering knowledge to the Solis Marine team. His expertise will be invaluable in providing rapid and high-quality technical services to clients not only in South Africa but also across the wider Africa, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific regions.
Solis Marine has an established presence in South Africa with Capt. Mike Melly. Mike is an experienced master mariner and marine consultant with extensive tanker and bulk carrier expertise which includes recent command experience.
Mike also has extensive industry experience as a marine superintendent, a P&I surveyor (including petroleum and petrochemical surveys) and as a marine consultant providing expert reports specialising in navigation incidents.
South Africa is also supported by Capt. Neil Minnitt, a marine consultant with Solis Marine. Neil is a highly experienced master mariner with over 30 years of maritime expertise. Neil has extensive experience of working in the offshore sector, having an unlimited DP qualification, as well as over 20 years’ command experience on harbour tugs, PSVs and AHTS vessels.
Our South Africa team offers a comprehensive range of services including:
• Salvage and Wreck Removal: Providing 24/7 global emergency response and expert casualty management.
• Incident Investigation: On site attendance and investigation supported by our use of data-led reconstructions with custom-built technology to investigate collisions and groundings.
• Marine Engineering: Damage and failure investigations, environmental compliance and hull and machinery surveys.
• Expert Witness Services: Providing expert technical advice and opinion for maritime stakeholders such as shipowners, insurers, government agencies, and legal firms.
• Pre-vetting audits: Risk-based inspections designed to enhance vetting outcomes and maintain chartering eligibility.
With its enhanced team and robust service offering, Solis Marine is well-positioned to become a key partner in South Africa's maritime growth story and ensure we provide not only world-class technical support but also the on-the-ground knowledge and rapid response capabilities essential for navigating the complexities of the regional shipping industry.
Find out more
Our South Africa team is based out of our office in Westville, Durban.
Learn more about our team here