The SAS Manthatisi has become the first naval submarine in the world to be brought into a new class by the International Classification Society, Germanischer Lloyd, the South African Navy said on Tuesday.
”Through the Germanischer Lloyd certification of SAS Manthatisi, the SA Navy adds another ”world first” to its long list of achievements,” Captain Digby Thomson said.
Traditionally only merchant (civilian) vessels are required to undergo classification in order to obtain a safety certification for insurance purposes.
Thomson said that although other navies had used international classification societies to bring naval surface vessels into class, as was the case for the Australian Navy’s Anzac class frigates, the SAS Manthatisi was the first naval submarine to be classified in this manner.
The SAS Charlotte Maxeke and SAS Queen Modjadji, the second and third of South Africa’s new Class 209 Type 1400 (Mod SA) submarines, will also be undergoing Germanischer Lloyd certification in the near future, Thomson said. — Sapa