CAPE TOWN (23 October 2018). As a contribution to this year’s Transport Month, the Netherlands Consulate General as a member of the WCMC in partnership with Damen Shipyards Cape Town (DSCT), will host a Maritime Day on 31 October 2018 at  DSCT.

In support of the Operation Phakisa agenda, the Maritime Day seeks to highlight career and skills development opportunities in the maritime sector to underprivileged youth from township schools in the Western Cape. It will also host a further round of collaboration on the development of the business model for the Western Cape Maritime Cluster.

WCMC will also be welcoming the Dutch Vice Minister for Foreign Economic Relations, Guido Landheer at the Maritime Day, who will be visiting South Africa (SA) as a follow up to the Water Trade Mission that took place at the 2017 Volvo Ocean Race Cape Town stopover. Landheer will also meet with various partners and key stakeholders in the maritime sector to build on partnerships that create opportunities for solutions to our country’s mutual challenges.

Fifty high-performing students from the top performing underprivileged high schools in the broader Cape Town area have been invited to attend. Together with a tour of the harbour, they will be attending information sessions and workshops run by colleges and tertiary institutes in the sector as well workshops on the career opportunities for young professionals in the industry.

“Maritime Day will provide new opportunities for SA’s talented youth population to explore the Ocean’s economy as a part of their professional futures. The Netherlands mission in South Africa recognizes the significant value in investing in skills development and is proud to be a partner in this initiative” says Sebastiaan Messerschmidt, Netherlands Consul General.

“We look forward to hosting the Maritime Day and recognise the value of investing in skills and enterprise development within the industry. We are also excited to see developments in the Western Cape Maritime Cluster, which will play a key role in local supply-chain developments and promoting inclusive economic growth,” said Benny Bhali, Executive, Sales and Marketing.

Other key participants of the event includes STC-SA and the Transnet National Ports Authority. Sponsors of the Maritime Day include the Transport Education Training Authority, Woolworths and Bos Ice Tea.

The WCMC is a newly constituted non-profit, voluntary organization that aims to provide support and build a sustainable Western Cape Maritime Industry. The initiative is supported by the Netherlands Government through its national campaign #cocreateSA and the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism. For more information or to become a member of the Maritime Cluster, please visit, http://cocreatesa.nl/maritime-cluster-membership/