Port Natal Maritime Museum

About Port Natal Maritime Museum

The Port Natal Maritime Museum, located along the bay in Durban, serves as an educational chronicle of the region's seafaring heritage and the development of Africa's busiest port. The museum's primary highlights are its real, multi-ton historical vessels anchored on-site, including the SAS Durban naval minesweeper, the JR More steam tugboat, and the Ulundi, which is South Africa's oldest surviving coal-fired pilot tug.

Visitors can walk the decks and explore internal spaces like the engine rooms, wheelhouses, and crew quarters. Indoors, the Britannia Exhibition Hall houses an extensive collection of maritime artifacts, deep-sea diving equipment, weather-predicting instruments, and intricate scale models of historic ships. The museum also features specialized exhibits dedicated to local maritime history, including Durban's past role as a prominent whaling station.