The Oceana Group is exiting its state-of-the-art Oceana Maritime Academy, which is to be leased to an independent training provider as part of a broader Oceana corporate head office relocation.
The premier facility is being taken over by longstanding maritime safety training partner, the Sea Safety Training Group (SSTG), on a two-year lease beginning 1 June 2026, which includes an option to buy.
The move marks a significant evolution in Oceana’s relationship with the Hout Bay harbour precinct. Following the closure of its historic fishmeal processing plant in 2019, the group repurposed the site in 2021 to create the academy, building it into the only sector-specific maritime training facility of its kind on the African continent.
The building boasts top-tier specialised infrastructure, including:
- An indoor swimming pool utilized for critical safety-at-sea drills.
- An 85-seater auditorium and four dedicated training rooms.
- Advanced first aid, fire-fighting simulation labs, and computer rooms.
While Oceana’s internal Learning and Development team will now deliver its employee programmes from its new corporate headquarters and West Coast satellite sites, the group hasn’t completely left the building. Oceana and its corporate stakeholders will continue to utilise the academy as required.
However, day-to-day management now passes to SSTG. Under their stewardship, the academy will continue to run its vital maritime safety programmes, ensuring that the asset remains fully active and available to support the broader Western Cape seafaring and boatbuilding ecosystem.
Oceana’s Chief People Officer, Bronwynne Bester said: “While this closes a chapter on the Oceana Maritime Academy, we can all be immensely proud of what it achieved in five short years and the difference it made to so many people in the fishing sector, in Hout Bay and its surrounding communities and to Oceana.”