Paramount Maritime launches new 35m Sentinel Vessel and announces new CEO

South African shipyard expertise will soon be on display in the troubled Gulf of Guinea in the form of the latest engineering wizardly out of Cape Town’s Nautic Africa shipyard.

The newly-designed 35m Sentinel ballistic patrol vessel MV Meedoi was launched this month in the Elliot Basin ahead of sea trials and final commissioning. She is destined for security and patrol operations in West Africa against a backdrop of ongoing piracy and armed conflicts.

The build process spanned multiple Coronavirus lockdowns during which time the yard maintained strict Covid19 health protocols. The Sentinel is an aluminium-hulled vessel with a beam of 7.5m, a draught of 2m, and up to six cabins for both crew and security personnel. She has a 11×6 cargo deck can accommodate 20 tons of cargo or a 20ft shipping container.

Paramount Maritime Holdings chief executive James Fisher, who attended the launch, said the MV Meedoi “captures the passion and commitment of the team at Nautic Africa and will serve its new owners proudly and consistently for many years into the future.”

“May the vessel realize the dreams for which she was built and now must deliver,” Fisher said in a statement issued to mark the launch.

Following the ceremony, Fisher added that, “We are privileged by the responsibility put upon us in meeting what has been consistent and positive growth in demand, year on year, with effective supply in the security vessel market”.

“Demand has further risen from our customers operating in the commodities transport markets (e.g. oil and gas and offshore renewables), with particular regard to those based in the Gulf of Guinea where over 90% of violent maritime conflicts around the world took place in 2020, including threats to the region’s bevy of national resources caused by transnational piracy, bunkering and even terrorism”.

The Company also reports an upswing in new customer demands in the security boat sector, and a shift from service vessels to security.  The Sentinel is specifically designed to respond to this threat with various security features. These include a main deck accommodation structure fitted with composite ballistic armour, and gun mounts and ballistic shields. The vessel is powered by three Caterpillar C32 main engines developing 1,193 kW each. It has a top speed of 28 knots and a range at max speed of over 1,150 nautical miles.

Said Fisher: “We are privileged by the responsibility put upon us in meeting what has been consistent and positive growth in demand, year on year, with effective supply in the security vessel market”.

Paramount this month also confirmed the appointment of Lee Connolly as the new CEO of Paramount Maritime Holdings. Connolly held the position of CEO of Paramount Advanced Technologies, a Paramount Group company, until recently.

Connolly stated: “It is a privilege and honour to be selected for this role. I am very passionate about the maritime and naval industries and spent many years cutting my teeth in this sector, making this

a logical step in my professional journey. Undertaking this transition from within the Paramount family is a great advantage, enabling me to continue working with the best in the business.”

“I want to thank James Fisher (founder of Nautic Africa) for his many years of inspirational leadership, from the early days of founding the business to building such an innovative and admired company that we have today. I am very pleased that James will continue to support us and invest his passion and experience into the business, in his important and future strategic role.”

Paramount Maritime Holdings, comprising ship builders Nautic Africa and Veecraft Marine, reported ongoing customer demands in the security vessel sector due to the myriad of maritime threats

which today challenge the trajectory of Africa’s blue economies. This has been driven largely by a change in existing customer requirements, from service to security vessels.

“Demand has remained strong from our customers operating in the commodities markets (e.g. oil and gas and offshore renewables), with particular regard to those based in the Gulf of Guinea. This region represented over 90% of maritime conflicts around the world in 2020. Further growth is expected from within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), where regional stability remains a challenge”, Connolly remarked.

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