20 harbour cranes to be replaced
OPERATION Phakisa projects headed by the Transnet National Ports Authority will see new cranes built in the Durban Harbour with the potential to localise manufacturing capability.
“New cranes are being procured towards the modernisation of the precinct’s Workshop 24 and pump house,” read a statement from the TNPA.
“TNPA will be replacing 10 cranes at the Durban Dry Dock complex and 10 cranes at the Cape Town Dry Dock complex. Transnet SOC Ltd is developing a procurement strategy and finalising the governance process to partner with original equipment manufacturers to supply 20 cranes as part of Operation Phakisa. The envisaged partnerships will serve to localise manufacturing capability in the production and supply of cranes.”
Operation Phakisa has already seen the refurbishment of the Durban dry dock’s outer caisson at a cost of R35-million and options for the repair of the inner caisson are ready for tender.
According to the TNPA, the existing floating dock is also being assessed to determine the possibility and extent of repairs required ahead of a decision to build a new large floating dock locally.
“The global economic slowdown and lower oil price has had implications for new facilities being built by TNPA under the government’s Operation Phakisa initiative. We remain committed to advancing these projects but will continue to realign our expectations with the expectations of investors in order to come up with collaborative solutions that are matched with market risk. We have built in the potential to scale projects up as required,” said Ricky Bhikraj, TNPA executive manager for capacity and enablement and Operation Phakisa programme director at the African Ports Evolution 2016 Conference.
