Billions on port upgrade

Some R80bn is being spent to upgrade South Africa’s freight logistics system to make the country more competitive in the logistics value chain. This is according to Cape Town-based National Ports Authority manager: corporate communication Coen Birkenstock who believes the next challenge will be to improve operational efficiencies within ports to match the infrastructure outlay. “By 2013 we will have invested R5.6bn in our container terminal expansion project, increasing container capacity to 1.4m TEUs per year and deepening the Ben Schoeman container berth from its current 12.8m to 15.5m and allowing bigger vessels up to 10 000 TEUs to visit.” The five-year investment programme began in January 2008 and full capacity at this level of growth will be reached by 2017, says Birkenstock. The four container quays will also be refurbished and equipped with the latest handling equipment. The new cranes will have a reach of 23 TEUs with doublelift capacity. Stacking capacity will be increased by 60% replacing the current straddle carrier operation with a rubber wheel gantry operation. Meanwhile storage space for empty containers will increase by 100% making more land available for storage. Other works being carried out include the refurbishment of the Sliding Caisson (R28m) at Sturrock Dry Dock, which comprises the upgrading of the entrance gate to the dock; the haulage chains and its chamber; deck of caisson, caisson hull cleaning and painting; and internal cleaning and painting of the caisson structure, among others. “Our job is to supply infrastructure before demand, but ports are becoming a restrictive component to trade as vessels grow increasingly larger. Fortunately, the volume of trade in South Africa does not require the biggest size vessels yet.”