''Florence Mkhize'' is an environmental protection vessel operated by the South African Ministry of the Environment. She was launched in June 2006. At , and capable of , she is smaller and faster than four earlier environmental protection vessels. The three vessels in the are long and capable of . At the launch of ''Florence Mkhize'', Marthinus van Schalkwyk, South African Ministry of the Environment, asserted the vessel's design was unique. The hull is constructed of aluminium and she was designed and tested by Cape Advanced Engineering, a South African company based in Atlantis, Western Cape. ''Florence Mkhize'' spent her first four months in commission countering perlemoen

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

Algoa Bay Algoa Bay is a maritime bay in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is located in the east coast, east of the Cape of Good Hope. Algoa Bay is bounded in the west by Cape Recife and in the east by Cape Padrone. The bay is up to deep. The harbour c ...

near

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

. All of the South African environmental patrol vessels are named after anti-apartheid heroines, like

Florence Mkhize Florence Grace Mkhize (1932 – July 10, 1999) was an anti-apartheid activist and women's movement leader. Mkhize was usually called 'Mam Flo'. Mkhize was also involved in trade unions in South Africa, organizing for the South African Congress of ...

References

{{Reflist Patrol vessels of South Africa 2006 ships