PORT stakeholders and local business people convened at the Protea Hotel, Empangeni last Thursday to discuss potential opportunities offered by Transnet’s ongoing Market Demand Strategy.
By creating new business opportunities and upgrading port infrastructure capacity ahead of demand, the strategy focuses on delivering efficient, self-sustainable port systems that complement economic growth and job creation.
To tackle its primary challenge of accommodating the growing demand for bulk cargo handling, Richards Bay’s port was allocated R5.9-billion from Transnet’s estimated R53.5-billion Capital Investment Programme for the 2015/16 to 2025/26 period.
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) is adopting an exploratory approach to the port’s expansion by placing market growth in the hands of private sector businesses who are willing to consider opportunities in oil and gas, ship repair and maritime vessel building.
Energy and ship repair
Potential plans for the port include a low risk, flexible private sector project of adding a floating or fixed dock type ship repair facility estimated at R900-million.
In the short term, TNPA will purchase land for these expansions and areas to the right of the port entrance have been proposed for the facilities.
The Department of Energy has also identified the port as one of three, along with Saldanha Bay and Ngqura ports, that could handle Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and has earmarked one potential site near the port’s entrance and a second adjacent to its two existing liquid berths.
In the medium to long term, TNPA will develop berth infrastructure alongside these projects and a third liquid berth to increase capacity in line with demand and additional dry bulk berths are also on the cards.
Container capacity
Additionally, TNPA is looking at a three-phase approach to increase container capacity at the port.
The first phase would double its capacity from 25 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per annum to 50 000 TEUs by relocating two mobile harbour cranes from Durban, rehabilitating a backup container stacking area along with its connecting road and deploying additional haulers and reach stackers.
Medium- and long-term phases two and three would double container capacity to 100 000 TEUs and beyond through the deployment of ship-to-shore, twin-lift gantry and rubber-tyred or rail-mounted gantry crane systems.
These projects will be aligned with the requirements of the Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone (RIDZ) and the TNPA will call for Expressions of Interest from the public by 30 April.
