About Port Natal Maritime Museum
Set at the Bay end of Samora Machel Street, next to the BAT Centre in Durban's harbour precinct, the Port Natal Maritime Museum was established in the early 1980s to give visitors a glimpse into the city's rich and colourful seafaring heritage. It stands as a tribute to Durban's role as the busiest port in Africa, preserving the ships, tools and stories that shaped the harbour over more than a century.
Visitors entering the main gate pass a historic harpoon gun, once used off the Durban coast and manufactured by the Norwegian weapons company Kongsberg Våpenfabrikk — a striking reminder of the whaling industry that once operated from this harbour.
Exhibitions:
The museum's floating exhibits are moored right alongside the quay, letting visitors climb aboard several genuine harbour vessels. The Ulundi is the oldest surviving pilot tug in South Africa, having begun her working life in Algoa Bay in 1927 before being bought by the South African Railway Administration in 1935 and placed into service in Durban Harbour — first as a pilot tug and tow boat, later ferrying labourers to worksites around the port. She was retired in 1982 and lifted into her present berth at the museum by floating crane.
Alongside her lie the steam tug JR More and the minesweeper SAS Durban, multi-ton vessels that give families and tour groups hours of exploration aboard real working ships. The museum is also home to the tiny NCS Challenger, the 5.8-metre yacht sailed by Anthony Steward on his record-breaking 22,890-nautical-mile voyage around the world in an open boat, beginning in 1991.
Outdoor seating beneath blue umbrellas overlooks the harbour, where cool drinks and light refreshments are available — a pleasant spot to relax between exhibits. A dedicated group of enthusiasts, the Friends of the Port Natal Maritime Museum, continues to support restoration projects and events at the museum today.