The South African Maritime Safety Authority's chief executive, Tsietsi Mokhele says the authority will promote the development of maritime skills through the National Higher Education Department and establish schools in Durban, Richard's Bay, Mossel Bay, East London, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth by 2013.

Maritime studies are included in the national curriculum for matric students but there are few students that enrol for the subject as there is a lack of information about maritime studies and few teachers able to teach the subject.

Huge gap in maritime sector

Mokhele says there is a huge gap in the maritime sector for artisans and young people can opt for careers in boat building, engineering, and aqua-culture apart from the obvious choices with the navy or the merchant shipping sectors.

In a separate development, the Director-General of Transport, George Mahlalela says that the scourge of piracy around Africa is a cause for real concern and that South Africa must join the rest of the world to fight piracy along the western and eastern seaboards of Africa.

"While piracy manifests itself at sea, the root of the problems are to be found ashore," Mahlalela told a maritime conference celebrating World Maritime Day earlier this week.

"Simply put, instability and insecurity on the coast of Somalia is a reflection of the political instability inside Somalia, for as long as there is no government in Somalia, we will continue to have rampant piracy," he said.