Thuso Mhlambi

Linsen Nambi is an entrepreneurial organisation focused on niche opportunities in maritime and midstream-energy. The main business activities are bunker vessel ownership and operations, ship-broking and marine surveying. Linsen Nambi actively engages with the communities in which it operates by promoting employment from previously disadvantaged communities in South Africa. The company employs school-leavers and through a rigid training process, which combines sea time and South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) courses, develops them into seafarers. It could take a leaner ten to twelve years to reach the level of a master or chief engineer, thus the company provides dignified livelihoods and career paths to the youth of South Africa. The company goes a step further to develop its seafarers into maritime professionals that are able to provide specialist services in the sister companies Linsen Nambi Shipbroking and Linsen Nambi Marine Surveying. Linsen Nambi Shipbroking fixes vessels for the oil and gas and mining industries and Linsen Nambi Marine Surveying provides an independent marine surveying service to the marine insurance industry. This creates a knowledge economy as the local knowledge is transferred into global insights for international customers. These international customers assess these opportunities and invest further in the South African maritime industry. Therefore, spillover effects are created. The company’s commitment to innovation and creating shared value is demonstrated by its emphasis on buying locally, generating employment, investing in capacity-building and skills development, empowering small businesses, and supporting sustainable practices. Linsen Nambi values partnerships with communities, governments, and industry bodies, working collaboratively to create solutions that benefit all.