Arms-deal submarines lie idle

Budget problems are causing a severe shortage of skilled staff that is crippling the operation of South Africa's new R1,5-billion submarines, bought in the scandal ridden arms deal.

The staffing shortage at the dock, described as "critical" by a top defence expert, has prompted the DA to call for the cancellation of the delivery of the third and final submarine from Germany, scheduled for May next year, in order to reduce operational costs.

At present the navy has had to allow for the staff shortages in its overall operational plan.

Respected defence analyst Helmoed Romer-Heitman of the military magazine Jane's Defence Weekly says the situation is critical and the Defence Force's recruitment system is failing the navy.

Already, one of the two new submarines in Simon's Town is mostly idle in the dockyard, while the other is operational.

Simon's Town dockyard sources allege that there are proposals that one of the two submarines should be mothballed, as the navy is not able to afford running all three, even before the third boat has arrived.

But officers deny this, saying the process of mothballing or preserving a ship for future use is in itself too expensi,e given the budget limitations.

DA MP Eddie Trent, the party's spokesperson on the arms deal, slammed the government for forging ahead with the deal without making sure the equipment bought could be used effectively.

Senior naval officers admit that the navy has launched its own recruitment drive to make up numbers.

The navy admits that the lure of much better remuneration in the private sector is irresistible to highly qualified sailors in the middle-management level aboard the ships.

The offshore oil industry of West Africa especially has drawn away large numbers, while recruiting drives are not yet succeeding in bringing in suitable replacements.

Rear Admiral Hanno Teuteberg, the navy's director of fleet force preparation, said it was not true that the navy was planning to mothball one of the submarines.

"We have planned our business plan in such a way that we can make most effective use of the boats in terms of our budget."

Teuteberg said it would cost the navy R34,3-million a year to operate the "total submarine system", which included running costs, crews, fuel, training and maintenance.

This came to an average of R7,8-million a boat.

In the navy, a petty officer (equal to a sergeant in the army) with 10 years' service serving ashore, earned R88 000 a year as a basic salary. Aboard submarines, this rose to R90 000 a year.

• This article was originally published on page 1 of The Cape Argus on December 05, 2007