A New Chapter for the Spirit of Vodacom Rescue Vessel

After nearly two decades of service in the NSRI fleet, the Spirit of Vodacom has been given a new lease of life. Following a four-month refurbishment in Cape Town, the vessel has made the almost 300-nautical-mile journey to its new home at Station 15 Mossel Bay.

Nearly Two Decades of Service

Originally purchased for Station 3 Table Bay, the Spirit of Vodacom spent around 14 years at the station before moving to Station 4 Mykonos, where she  served for a further four years.

With Mykonos receiving a new Offshore Rescue Craft (ORC), and Mossel Bay’s Breede-class deep-sea rescue vessel now more than 40 years old, the decision was made to refurbish and redeploy the Spirit of Vodacom to Station 15.

NSRI Head of Fleet and Facilities Graeme Harding says the four month project included significant work to prepare the vessel for its next chapter.

“Apart from replacing the trim system with the same Humphree system that is being fitted to the ORCs, extensive rewiring and system checks were done, a gearbox replacement and minor cosmetics,” he explains.

The Journey to Mossel Bay

With the work complete, NSRI Regional Operations Manager Dean Wegerle set out from Cape Town for Mossel Bay, accompanied by members of the NSRI operations and training teams, and  crew from Station 15, who joined the delivery team.

Weather conditions meant the journey was deliberately undertaken during daylight hours. The team left Cape Town in the late morning, travelling to Hermanus to refuel and overnight before departing again early the following morning.

The total journey took approximately 16 hours, around 5,5 hours from Cape Town to Hermanus and a further 11,5 hours to Mossel Bay.

When asked if the trip was to test the vessel after her refurbishments, Dean said, “The vessel's tried and tested. She's been in the fleet for 19 years.”

He adds that the trip was used  for crew to “get used to the vessel and understand how she handles in different sea states.”

Once in Mossel Bay, further handover and vessel-specific training took place.

“It was a good delivery. The crew just needs to learn and get the new vessel under them,” Dean says.

Strengthening Rescue Capability

For Station 15, the Spirit of Vodacom brings greater range, endurance and flexibility, particularly for offshore incidents and operations in challenging sea conditions.

“The arrival of Rescue 15 (her new call sign) is a significant milestone for the station and its volunteers,” Station 15 Deputy Station Commander and Class 1 coxswain Dawie Zwiegelaar says.

“Having this vessel permanently based in Mossel Bay strengthens our operational capability and enhances our ability to serve the boating public, local community and visitors along our coastline.”

Its reach is particularly valuable given the geography of the surrounding coastline. Under certain conditions, Rescue 15 could be called on to respond as far east as Plettenberg Bay, while the PetroSA FA Platform lies some 40 nautical miles offshore.

For Dawie, the vessel is also an investment in the station’s volunteers and future.

“This new addition also demonstrates the NSRI's continued investment in the Mossel Bay station and its future growth.”

After 19 years of rescue service, Rescue 15’s arrival in Mossel Bay is not the end of an old vessel’s story, but the beginning of her next operational chapter.