Pupils learn the ropes at port

PUPILS from schools across the uThungulu district were welcomed to the Richards Bay harbour last week as part of National Careers Week.

From Monday to Friday, more than 2300 youngsters from 97 schools were afforded the opportunity to visit the port’s terminals, tugboats, ‘Divers Den’, Integrated Management System (IMS) Department and Employee Care Centre.

There they learned everything from the port’s extensive marine and electrical tasks to environmental priorities and mammoth infrastructure developments.

‘At the exhibitions, pupils were advised on what they would require to follow their career path – what to study and where they would need to study,’ said Richards Bay Harbour Master Sabelo Mdlalose

‘They were also given an overview of the responsibilities of each department and were given the opportunity to ask questions.

‘This was a great opportunity for pupils to be exposed to the port environment and the careers available to them.

‘Speakers from the Department of Education, the Echwebeni Heritage Site, civil maintenance, planning and development, SHEQ (safety, health, environment and quality), customer relationship management, human resources, real estate and electrical, as well as our Harbour Master, Finance Manager and Tug Master, encouraged pupils to study hard, particularly maths and science, to fill the gaps in critical areas.’

Coal terminal tour

At the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT), scholars were transported around the plant and became familiar with the terminal’s tipplers, stockpiles, stacker reclaimers and ship loaders.

‘They also got a glimpse of the operations process from the time that the coal is imported, stocked and then exported,’ said RBCT Corporate Affairs Manager Gcina Nhleko.