West Point Processors marks 25 years of support for the NSRI with new three-year Platinum Partnership

LANGEBAAN – West Point Processors, part of the Sea Harvest Group, has marked 25 years of support for the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) by committing a further R810,000 over the next three years.

The milestone was celebrated at NSRI Station 4 Mykonos on the West Coast, where West Point Processors handed over its R220,000 contribution for 2026 and signed a new three-year Platinum Partnership agreement covering 2027 to 2029. Together, this represents a commitment of more than R1 million to the NSRI over the four-year period.

Support associated with West Point Processors and its predecessor businesses dates back to 2001, when the original Saldanha Group made its first contribution to the NSRI. The relationship has evolved through several corporate changes since then, including Sea Harvest's 2024 acquisition of Terrasan's pelagic fishing business, of which West Point Processors is now part. Through every change, the partnership with the NSRI has continued, reaching Platinum Partner status in 2018.

“Very few partnerships endure for 25 years,” said Mike Vonk, Chief Executive Officer of the NSRI. “What we are marking today is not only West Point Processors' latest contribution, but their decision to commit to another three years with us. For West Point and Sea Harvest, the sea provides livelihoods. For the NSRI, our responsibility is to help make sure that the people who go to sea have the best possible emergency response in the event of any challenges. That shared connection to the ocean is what has kept this partnership going for a quarter of a century, and we are proud to be starting its next chapter together.”

“Today, we are very proud to continue our long-standing relationship with the NSRI. What is particularly meaningful for us is knowing that our contribution is being put to very good use. Our Platinum Partnership funding helps ensure that when a call for help comes, the NSRI has the people, training and equipment it needs to respond. Our donation supports protective equipment for volunteer crews, water-safety and survival-swimming programmes for children and practical safety-at-sea training for small-scale fishers”. said Lynn Boshoff, Chief Executive Officer of West Point Processors. 

“Renewing our Platinum Partnership for another three years reflects our confidence in the NSRI and our commitment to the safety of the communities we work alongside.” 

Terence Brown, Operations Director of Sea Harvest Saldanha and Chairman of Sea Harvest Foundation, said the relationship reflects the close connection both organisations have with the sea and the communities that depend on it.

“For us, the sea isn’t simply where we do business. It is part of who we are. It sustains livelihoods, supports families and has shaped communities along the West Coast for generations. We understand what the ocean gives us, but we also understand and respect its risks.

“When your people go to sea for a living, you understand just how important it is to have highly trained and properly equipped rescue teams ready to respond when something goes wrong. That is why our relationship with the NSRI is such a natural and important one,” said Brown.

The Platinum Partnership funding directly supports the NSRI's life-saving work. It provides personal protective equipment for the volunteer crews who respond to emergencies at sea, including those at Station 4 Mykonos, one of the organisation's busiest volunteer sea rescue stations. It will also help fund the NSRI's community programmes, which teach water safety and survival swimming to disadvantaged children across South Africa, as well as small-scale fishers’ education, primarily through the NSRI’s practical safety-at-sea training.

Station 4 Mykonos is one of the NSRI's busiest volunteer stations. In 2025, its volunteer crew carried out 49 rescue operations, assisting 37 people, including 23 vessels in difficulty, one medevac safely transferring an injured casualty off a vessel for further medical care, and two animal rescues, a dog and a whale disentanglement. In the year to mid-September 2026, the station has already carried out 29 rescue operations, assisting 19 people across seven vessels in difficulty and one medevac.

Over the two-year period, vessel passengers were the largest single group helped, making up close to a third of everyone assisted (18 of 56 people). Kite surfers were the leading water-sport group needing direct rescue, accounting for 12 people helped, more than paddlers, kayakers and swimmers combined. Power boating problems, including mechanical failure and fuel issues, lay behind close to six in ten of all vessel assists, and tow requests remain the single leading reason for a vessel call-out in both years.

Nationally, the NSRI has responded to 645 call-outs in 2026, so far rescuing 1 128 people, while also delivering 11 552 survival swimming lessons and teaching more than 500 000 children about water safety.

“Without the continued support of companies like West Point Processors, the NSRI would not be able to carry out the critical water safety, prevention and rescue work that we are known and trusted to do,” said Mike. “We are most grateful for their support.”