WHEN Phineas Ndimande boards the SAS Tekwane patrol vessel, officers salute.

Not only because he is the captain of the vessel that rescues ships in distress on South African seas, but because he is the youngest in the country to have done so.

What's more is that, Ndimande is the first naval officer who was part of the first Military Skills Development group that were recruited by the SA National Defence Force in 2003 in a programme to rejuvenate the county's military.

Ndimande, who from Mpumalanga, is based at the Durban harbour where his vessel was anchored on Friday when he was bestowed the honour of sub lieutenant by the South African Navy.

"I've got the greatest job in the world and I worked hard to get it. I used to see this kind of thing on TV and wished to do it. It's an honour to captain the ship but also because the job allows me to meet all kinds of people, even mayors when I enter new towns," he said while on board the SAS Tekwane.

The vessel is one of three Inshore Patrol Vessels, which was brought into the SA Navy in the early 1990's as air-sea rescue launches. Its role and that of its captain is to conduct information surveillance and to assist government authorities in law enforcement on the county's seas.

It also conducts search-and-rescue operations in inshore coastal waters and harbours.

The SAS Tekwane, according to Ndimande, can notch up speeds of up to 60kph and to qualify to captain her, officers need to have raked up 1000 hours at sea.

"It's the only naval ship in Durban that I captain; there are another two in Simons Town that are captained by people older than myself."

He also served onboard SAS Kapa, a strike craft and then went on to complete a course in astronomical navigation.

Once completed, he joined SAS Isaac Dyobha, also a strike craft and served as an officer under training to achieve both his bridge watch keeping and ocean navigation certificates.

Ndimande is in charge of 14 crewmen and women.