Industry stalwart says at last he doesn’t have to go to sleep with his cell phone
Maritime Industry stalwart Nigel Campbell has formally retired after 47 years in the maritime sector.
Campbell, who turned 65 in September, rose to the rank of deputy chief operations officer at the South African Maritime Safety Authority during 19 years of service. He worked previously as a ship’s surveyor and a mariner in the fishing industry.
While at SAMSA he was largely instrumental in finalising the International Maritime Organisation’s 2012 Cape Town Agreement that regulates international fishing operations. He also helped pave the way for South Africa’s entry into the offshore fuel bunkering business.
SAMSA chief executive Sobantu Tilayi paid tribute to Campbell’s professionalism, which he described as an inspiration to those around him: “Personally as a friend and a colleague and a civil servant, and as many things to many people, I think he really represented the SAMSA brand quite well.”
Tilayi said Campbell would not be lost to the local maritime sector: “I haven’t given him permission to retire yet — he has to come back in another capacity,” Tilayi quipped. “There is work that is yet to be done as we position this maritime industry. We still depend on him,” he said.
Commenting on his retirement at a farewell function, Campbell said he was looking forward to a less onerous relationship with his cell phone: “I’m looking forward to going to bed at night and leaving my phone in a different room. It has been an exciting career,” Campbell said.