The name is an acronym for Durban Navigational Collieries, a mine that was opened at the turn of the 20th century. The mine mainly produced coking coal for the shipping industries, but later the coal was used in the smelting of iron.
The name Durban Navigational Collieries refers to a mining operation that began operating in the early 1900s. The mine's initial focus was on producing coking coal for use in shipping, but it later shifted to supplying coal for iron smelting.