Orders for gantry cranes and straddles halted Terry Hutson IN SOMETHING of an about-turn, National Ports Authority and South African Port Operations (SAPO) have scaled back an important part of the Durban Development 2005 programme to await the concessioning process. Orders for three quayside gantry cranes plus an additional 37 straddle carriers intended for the New Pier section of the Durban Container Terminal will now not be ordered and it will be left to a future concessionaire to decide on new container handling equipment. This is not likely until at least 2004 when the first concession is awarded. The cutbacks will result in a saving of about R700 million. The new pier development forms a major part of the container terminal expansion, and was deemed essential for the port to keep up with ever increasing volumes, that are estimated to reach 1,3m TEUs this year. The unexpected decision has further fuelled rumours in Durban that the concessionaire has already been decided at senior government level. At least one would-be international concessionaire has questioned publicly the present method of container handling, in particular the use of straddle carriers. The Container Liner Operators Forum (CLOF) says it was not consulted about the about-turn and says it is concerned because the port and terminal is already under considerable pressure. Captain Salvatore Sarno, chairman of Mediterranean Shipping Company in SA and the container terminal's largest user, said that while it probably made some sort of sense to wait for the concessionaire, it would inevitably result in further shipping delays at the port. He added concerns about the use of mobile cranes at the terminal. MSC recently assisted SAPO by moving a mobile crane from Richards Bay to Durban at no cost. That joined another transferred from the multi purpose terminal. "In my opinion there are some people with their noses out of place because of the mobile cranes Ð they maintained they could not be used successfully in Durban and so now they are delaying operations by dragging their feet because they are afraid it will be a success, leaving them to lose face." Sarno said he was a patient man and remained confident that once again CLOF's suggestions, which were fully accepted by SAPO senior management, would result in container handling improvements, despite the efforts of some.
