Swakop lighthouse to get a facelift

PLANS by Namport to renovate the Swakopmund lighthouse before the last December holiday had to be postponed to ensure visitors to the area were not inconvenienced by the renovation work.

But the ports’ authority has given an assurance that work to brighten up the famous landmark will now begin shortly.

The Swakopmund lighthouse is a landmark which enjoys international prominence. It is a coveted object for photography, postcards and other artwork such as painting. It is also right next to the Swakopmund state house and towers over the Mole area, which is a focal point of tourism and other recreational activities.

But it is very dirty – and people are complaining, asking why Namport is not maintaining this structure, which they should be proud of.

Renovation work started just before December with the painting of the restaurant at the base of the tower. Then, it was said the lighthouse renovations would be done before the start of the holiday. But to date, it has not been painted… and some people are starting to call it an eyesore.

Namport’s port engineer Elzevir Gelderbloem told The Namibian upon enquiry that the ports authority awarded a contract for the repainting of the lighthouse in October 2015 already, but due to various reasons, the contractor could only start work in late November.

“The repainting of this lighthouse normally causes some discomfort to the surrounding restaurants, each time it occurs. This time, when the contractor commenced work in November, Namport received complaints from the restaurants surrounding the lighthouse that the repainting work is negatively affecting their business. The fact that the peak holiday period was fast approaching was also a concern to Namport since that is when this area gets very busy. We then decided to postpone the entire repainting contract for a few months until after the peak season. The repainting will, therefore, commence again in the next few weeks, rest assured,” he noted.

There are three lighthouses in Namibia owned by government, and over which Namport has full jurisdiction and control.

According to Gelderbloem, lighthouses still serve a specific purpose as a navigational aid to vessels at sea which approach Namibia’s coastline. Without such lighthouses, vessels can lose their bearings when approaching the port, thereby risking running aground in bad weather.

By law, Namport is required to operate and maintain these three lighthouses for the purposes of navigational safety.

This responsibility cannot be transferred to anyone else since it is enacted by law. Namport is best-placed to operate and maintain lighthouses since it operates and maintains a vast number of different navigational aids along the coast, and has been doing so for many years.

Besides the three conventional lighthouses (at Swakopmund, Pelican Point at Walvis Bay and Diaz Point at Lüderitz), there are various lights and radar beacons along the coast, which all serve as aids to navigation.

“The lighthouses used to be manned by lighthouse-keepers. However, all the systems have in recent years been fully automated, such that lighthouse-keepers are no longer required,” he explained.

The Swakopmund lighthouse was built and commissioned in 1902 (being the oldest of the three lighthouses). Swakopmund was founded by the Germans in 1892 as the seaport of their colony, the better harbour of Walvis Bay being in British hands at that time.

This lighthouse was thus built to guide ships into Swakopmund.

Today, the lighthouse no longer serves to guide ships into Swakopmund, but instead serves as a navigational aid to all ships approaching and departing the port of Walvis Bay, in conjunction with the lighthouse at Pelican Point.

The last time the Swakopmund lighthouse was renovated was in 2012, while the maintenance of other components of the lighthouse occur on an ongoing basis throughout the year, but painting happens once every thee years.