SAS Drakensberg ( A301 ) The SAS " Drakensberg " ( A301 ) is a fleet replenishment ship ( AOR ) of the South African Navy , with the primary role of assisting and supporting the SAN ' s combat vessels at sea . Built by the ( now defunct ) Sandock Austral shipyard in Durban , it is the largest and most sophisticated warship to have been built in South Africa . Design . The design and shortcomings of the " Tafelberg " heavily influenced the designers of the " Drakensberg " . The " Drakensberg " is able to carry 5 500 tons of diesel fuel , 210 tons of fresh water , 100 tons of dry provisions , over 30 tons of frozen food , 230 tons of containerized cargo or 1 000 tons of palletized and general cargo . The loading and offloading of this cargo is made possible with one 20 - ton crane , four 2 - ton cranes and a 5 - ton hoist , assisted by two lifts of 2 . 5 and 7 . 5 tons respectively . Replenishment at sea ( RAS ) is from two abeam positions or from the RAS deck astern , with the ability to pump 40 tons of fuel per hour and 15 tons of fresh water per hour . In addition , an on - board plant enables the ship to produce 50 000 litres of fresh water from sea water daily . The ship carries two rigid - hull inflatable boats ( RHIB ) called ' Stingrays ' for small - craft duties , as well as two Delta - 80 LCUs for limited amphibious use . Operational history . Since its commissioning in November 1987 , the " Drakensberg " has built up a record of being the most travelled ship currently in SAN service . This began fairly early : Barely a year after its commissioning , it set sail along with the SAS " Frans Erasmus " for Chile on 15 February 1988 , returning to South Africa on 15 April . This was followed two years later in May 1990 , when the " Drakensberg " accompanied the strike craft SAS " Jan Smuts " and " Hendrik Mentz " on an epic voyage to Keelung in the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) , without stopping at any ports along the way ( a procedure necessitated by South Africa ' s political isolation at the time ) . This was the first time since 1945 that a South African naval vessel had " shown the flag " in the Far East ; it also provided an opportunity for joint exercises with the Taiwanese Navy . Under " Operation Pullen " in 1990 , the " Drakensberg " became the first South African naval vessel to visit the then - Zaire in over 30 years , laying the groundwork for a series of additional visits to African nations , signifying South Africa ' s gradual return from isolation . The next year , it set sail on a humanitarian relief mission , offloading 630 tons of supplies in Chittagong , Bangladesh and 35 tons of supplies in Mersin , Turkey . In 1992 , it became the first SAN vessel to proceed further south than 54 degrees south latitude , in a mission to assist the damaged " S . A . Agulhas " . The " Drakensberg ' s " greatest voyage , arguably , was " Operation Narsau " in May 1994 , following South Africa ' s first fully democratic elections and the election of Nelson Mandela . In three months , it visited Lisbon , Rosyth , Copenhagen , Rotterdam , Zeebrugge , Rouen , London , Cadiz , São Tomé and Príncipe , Bioko Island and Gabon in the process becoming the first SAN vessel to visit Denmark and Belgium . While not quite living up to the high standards set by the 1994 voyage , the 1995 voyage to Abu Dhabi , Karachi , Mumbai and Muscat is also notable for its diversity in destinations . In 1996 , the " Drakensberg " became the first SAN vessel in over 20 years to visit the United States , when it called at the ports of Norfolk , Newport and New York City , which followed a naval exercise with over 25 other vessels at the US Navy ' s base at Roosevelt Roads , Puerto Rico . During a time of increased budget cuts , it would be three years until it embarked on another long - range voyage , this time to Brazil , Argentina and Uruguay to partake in the " Atlasur IV " naval manoeuvres . In 2006 , the " Drakensberg " was sent to France by President Thabo Mbeki to collect a giant rotor to replace the damaged rotor at Koeberg nuclear power station . The rotor was offloaded at Cape Town harbour just after 16 : 00 on 6 April 2006 . In 2011 , the " Drakensberg " was sent to West Africa , officially for training purposes . The deployment drew criticism from the Economic Community of West African States ( ECOWAS ) , who claimed that the deployment was related to ongoing conflict in Cote d ' Ivoire .