Automotive industry drives East London growth

Ports of Southern Africa Grain elevator gets moving again, writes Leonard Neill Leonard Neill THE THRIVING automotive industry is providing strong impetus for growth strategies in East London. Plans are afoot to deepen the harbour draught from the present nine metres to 10,5 metres at West Bank berths serving the automobile industry and the car terminal. This will allow even larger vessels to move in and out of South Africa's only river port. With its well developed infrastructure and active expansion programme the port has, in the past year, become one of the major vehicle export and import terminals in South Africa. Manufacturers throughout the country are now making use of the facility which was established when DaimlerChrysler gained the export order for right hand drive Mercedes Benz vehicles to be manufactured in East London and despatched to worldwide markets. Linked to this project the port has expanded the East Bank container terminal handling capacity from 60 000 TEU throughput per annum to 90 000. Now investigations are underway for the building of a huge new container terminal on the West Bank, in open territory adjacent to the four-level, 2 800 parking bay motor vehicle terminal. Already plans are being laid for the expansion of the car terminal facility which can be increased to 7 000 parking bays with the addition of further levels. The motor vehicle market has opened up new projects all around the East London region. Component manufacturers are setting up manufacturing facilities in the area or using the port for export purposes from other South African centres, elevating East London's status as a major hub of automotive import and export activity. There are other aspects of port operation which have also become visible this year. An example is the return to use of the largest and most efficient bulk-handling elevator for free flowing grain products in the country. This fully computerised elevator with a Programmable Logical Controller (PLC) system, combined with an Intouch SCADA package, supplies information regarding stock levels and loading tempos on-line via the internet. It has an intake capacity of 600 tons per hour via three intake belts and a storage capacity of 76 000 tons, and is linked by rail to all major maize growing areas. A recent contract signed with trawler fleets using the areas for fishing purposes has ensured greater use of the graving dock, where repair and maintenance is undertaken by private contractors. The rapid movement of vessels in and out of the facility has encouraged more and more vessel owners to use East London, and the flow of vessels through the facility has grown by encouraging proportions in the past 12 months.