DURBAN-based black empowerment company South African Shipbuilding (SAFBuild) has completed the first of a two harbour tug construction contract for Portnet worth R104-million. Business Report indicates that SAFBuild is the only shipbuilding company in Durban and the only major firm specialising in that type of work in South Africa. Peter Meredith, the senior marine engineer of Portnet, the ports and harbours division of Transnet, said the contract is part of a R500-million Portnet project to build 10 tugs over the next seven to eight years. “The contract for the first two tugs was awarded to SAFBuild against stiff competition from eight international and two smaller South African companies,” he said.