Durban Harbour: Life Before the Giants Arrive (Part 4)

The Working Fleet before the Giants Arrive

This is Part 4 (and the final part) of my Mini-Series - Durban Harbour: Life Before the Giants Arrive.

If you missed any of the first three posts in this series, you can find them here:

• Morning Stillness at the Marina (Part 1)
• Life Along the Docks (Part 2)
• Durban Harbour: Life Before the Giants Arrive (Part 3)

The season of grand passenger liners is about to begin.

But that doesn't take anything away from the activities in Durban Harbour during the rest of the year.

Let's have a look at the broader spectrum.

Chellship

This massive cargo ship, the Darya Moti, passed through Durban earlier this year. I was just in time to see it entering the harbour. Even though we've been living in Durban since 2003, it still fills me with excitement when I can witness a big ship coming into the harbour.

This was unplanned, so I responded by quickly finding a parking space. I got out of the car and found a spot as fast as I could to capture the action.

The Darya Moti belongs to the Chellship fleet. I found their website under the company name Challaram Shipping. Their website is chellship.com. Based in Hong Kong, this company manages and operates dry bulk carriers worldwide.

According to their website, they have a fleet of 24 vessels. All their names start with "Darya", but I couldn't find Darya Moti on their website.

I am not an expert on ships, but from what I saw, it looks like a bulk carrier. A bulk carrier is a type of cargo ship designed to transport unpackaged bulk goods such as grain, coal, ore, or cement. Bulk carriers are essential to global trade, and an interesting fact is that Durban Harbour is one of the busiest bulk cargo ports in Africa.

Two tug boats came out to meet the cargo ship as it entered the canal, entering the harbour.

One tug boat positioned itself at the back of the ship...

... and one at the front.

With a slow, soft, rhythmic "duff-duff-duff-duff" of the huge diesel engines, they entered the harbour.

Just after they entered the harbour, they arrived at the space where the ship was supposed to dock, and they slowly started manoeuvring this massive ship into position.

These industrial giants of the ocean may not carry tourists, but the world's cargo as part of the global economy. And their size is just as impressive.

Silver Cloud

In contrast to the huge cargo ship, I also had the opportunity to watch the Silver Cloud entering the harbour.

The Silver Cloud is a small luxury cruise ship operated by Silversea Cruises. It was originally launched in the 1990s and later converted for expedition cruising, carrying around 250 passengers. She’s known for visiting smaller, more exclusive ports, Durban being one of her African calls earlier this year.

Smaller and more intimate than the massive cruise ships expected this November, she represents another side of sea travel - refined, elegant, and designed for those who prefer slow voyages and quiet luxury.

According to the Silver Cruises website, silversea.com. the "Silver Cloud offers one of the most personalised experiences in expedition voyages, with a high ratio of experts and Zodiacs unlocking access to the rare and remarkable.

Silver Cloud is the first crossover ship in our fleet, bringing the remote and remarkable to you in ultra-luxurious comfort. Her large suites, destination itineraries, and unparalleled service make her truly special. Four dining options will tantalise your taste buds, and as 80% of her suites include a veranda, watching a breaching whale from the comfort of your balcony has never been so personal. With her 20 zodiacs, 10 kayaks, possibilities are almost limitless with ship-wide simultaneous explorations."

Here are some photos I took when the Silver Cloud entered Durban Harbour earlier this year.

I was expecting the arrival of the Silver Cloud, but she was ahead of schedule, and I wasn't able to get to the spot I had in mind in time. I still managed to get some nice shots, even though the fence was still in the foreground.

Here you can see some passengers enjoying their arrival in Durban.

I managed to find a spot on an elevated terrace from where I could take this shot. You can see another photographer behind the fence. That is where I wanted to be and where I plan to be when the big cruise liners come in.

In the next shot, the Silver Cloud was about to enter the harbour and turn right toward the passenger terminal.

As mentioned before, it's not easy to get access to the harbour unless you are there for business, a travelling passenger, or can provide proof that you are there to pick up or drop off passengers.

It took some very polite negotiating with security to get this close, but I managed to get these last couple of shots as the Silver Cloud approached the passenger terminal.

The Work-Horses

And in between them all, vessels like this, a trailing suction hopper dredger, do the unseen work — maintaining the very channels these ships depend on. Without them, none of this harbour traffic would be possible.

Vessels like this are used to maintain navigable channels in harbours by removing sediment from the seabed. Dredgers are an often-overlooked but vital part of harbour operations, keeping the entrance deep enough for large vessels like the ones in this post and the ones I'll soon photograph to share in my upcoming posts.

Closing Thoughts

This post wraps up my “Life Before the Giants Arrive” series.

As you might have noticed, we took a look at the everyday life of Durban Harbour before the big passenger ships of summer return.

How did you experience Durban Harbour, in particular Wilson's Wharf, during the series? And how did it compare with personal experiences you had in a harbour near you or anywhere else during your travels?

According to the schedule I have, the first big passenger ship is expected to arrive this weekend.

If all goes to plan, I should be able to share some great photos of the ship on the water in next week's post. It will be the first of my new series about the big, luxurious passenger ships visiting Durban harbour.

Thank you for reading my posts. I do appreciate it!

Note:

I plan on doing a series of at least three big Cruise liners visiting Durban during the second half of November, starting next week.

The location pin of this post, is the exact spot where I stood when I took the photos in this post of the Darya Moti and the Silver Cloud.

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