Communications

The South African Government in the Department of Transport is responsible for ensuring that maritime safety information including distress alert is provided. Telkom SA provides this information on behalf of the Department, on a contractual basis.
These services are provided in terms of, and according to, INMARSAT, the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue and the International COSPAS-SARSAT Programme Agreement and the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System embodied in the SOLAS Convention.

The kind of services provided by Telkom on behalf of the Government of South Africa includes the following:-

• Watch keeping services including voice, COSPAS-SARSAT and Digital Selective calling.
• Navigation Warnings.
• Meteorological Services.
• Safetynet services via Inmarsat.
• Navtex services.
• SAFREP services
• Co-ordination of all Distress Communications
• Pre arrival reports
• Autolink RT
• Manual RT
• Globe E-mail
• Shipping in Harbour
• AMVER

To ensure the effective provision of these services, the following stations and sites have been established: Four manned stations at Cape Town, Klipheuwel, Durban and Port Elizabeth

• Thirty six MF and VHF remote sites along coast
• Cape Town, Milnerton – main controlling station and standby HF receiver site
• Klipheuwel, 40 km from Milnerton – main HF high power transmitting station
• Port Elizabeth – smaller control station centralized to Cape Town.
• Durban – smaller control station centralized to Cape Town.
• Yzerfontein – remote main HF receiving site
  

All controlling stations are manned 24 hours, 7 days a week and 365 days a year.