Press Release

The European South African Corvette Consortium (ESACC), which has a contract to supply the SA Navy with four new patrol corvettes, have proposed a revised delivery timetable to the SA Government.

This revision has become necessary as a result of an approximately 9-month delay in platform delivery arising from the discovery of defects in installed electrical cabling. These defects came to light when a series of rigorous quality tests by the Blohm+Voss shipyard revealed an unusual quality shortcoming in some of the SAS Amatola's highly specialised naval cabling. The quality standards in force in German yards set international shipbuilding benchmarks.

The implication of the proposed revised delivery timetable will be addressed by teams from both sides starting in March 2003. This was agreed during a visit to South Africa this week by an ESACC team led by Herbert von Nitzsch, CEO of Hamburg's Blohm+Voss shipyard. Once completed by the shipbuilders, the revolutionary stealth corvette platforms will be equipped with combat suites and other advanced electronic systems in Simon's Town by the responsible ESACC members.

Under the proposed revised schedule, the first platform - the SAS Amatola is now expected to arrive for the planned outfitting with its combat system in Simon's Town in the fourth quarter of this year.

During their three-day visit to South Africa, the ESACC team met representatives of the Defence Ministry, the South African National Defence Force Armscor and of South African partners.

The SAS Amatola has already completed very successful ship and machinery sea trials. Both the seagoing performance and the performance data exceeded expectations.

The combat suite to be installed on the corvettes, which has largely been designed and built by South African companies, is currently being very successfully tested in the Integration Test Bed (ITB) in Simon's Town in line with the original schedule.

The design and production of ships, systems, and ancillary equipment by the ESACC partners are subject to the most rigorous ongoing quality control testing throughout all production phases and the quality and technical integrity of the ships to be delivered to the SA Navy for a 30 to 40 year lifespan will not be compromised in any way.

"We are very proud of our 125-year old reputation for building the world's best merchant and naval ships, of which the South African corvettes are just the latest example for innovation and highest quality", say von Nitzsch.

"When our standard quality testing procedures showed that some of the cabling on the SAS Amatola was not performing to the exacting norms agreed with the South African government and Navy, the shipyards Blohm+Voss and HDW immediately decided to replace them all. We are currently in the process of doing so on the SAS Amatola and the second corvette, the SAS Isandlwana, which is less affected because cabling had not been completed when the under-performance was located."

Further statements will be made when the respective arrangements between ESACC and the customer have been finalised.

Media Contact

Andrea Wessel
Email andrea.wessel@tkt-blohm.thyssenkrupp.com
+49 40 3119 1320 office
+49 40 1729761796 mobile

With acknowledgement European South African Corvette Consortium.