SA Navy’s trip to Russia suspended

The SA navy’s historic voyage to Russia, which was announced earlier this year with great fanfare, has been suspended. The SAS Amatola’s expedition has been cancelled due to ‘unserviceability requiring further maintenance’. City Press reports that military spokesperson Colonel Selinah Rawlins confirmed that Moscow  had invited the navy to undertake a diplomatic mission to the country. The frigate was to participate in the eighth anniversary of Russia’s Navy Day in St Petersburg. This parade is usually a spectacle during which the Russian navy organises a grand procession of all its vessels and equipment. Vice-Admiral Monde Lobese, chief of the navy, preciously announced that in addition to the SAS Amatola voyage, the SAS Drakensberg, the navy’s logistical supply vessel, would be sent to Cuba later this year. Rapport notes that the Amatola recently underwent an engine replacement and a significant number of repairs of other components. The sea trials, to ensure that all systems are functioning properly, have not yet been completed.

Lobese stated it is important for the navy to cooperate with its allies in Brics and other foreign naval groupings to help establish global security and stability. The navy is hopeful that the SAS Drakensberg will be ready to sail to Cuba later this year. ‘The final decision will be made once the navy has assured itself of the safety of the vessel and its crew during such a voyage,’ Rawlins said. However, military experts also warn that the voyage could have far-reaching consequences for SA while Russia is currently flexing its muscles near Cuba. City Press notes that the Russian Admiral Gorshkov nuclear frigate – which also participated in a naval exercise on the SA east coast last year – tested its missiles in the Atlantic Ocean last week to the great consternation of the US. The visit to Cuba is part of Russia’s power projection amid tensions with the West over its invasion of Ukraine.