South Africas iconic retired polar research vessel, the SA Agulhas I , is scheduled to be sold via a public auction next week.
This comes after the vessel was placed under judicial arrest in the Port of Durban and subsequently ordered for sale by the Durban High Court on December 11 due to severe financial difficulties encountered by its private operators following the 2024 transfer from government ownership to JS Maritime.
According to the court order, after completing two scientific charter voyages in the first half of 2025, the operators faced mounting debts, leading creditors including financial lenders to initiate legal action for recovery of unpaid amounts.
