Botswana gets own port facility at Walvis Bay

Walvis Bay – Figuratively speaking Bisey Uirab, CEO of the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport), had a point when he declared last week, “Botswana is no longer landlocked.” It’s not that global warming has extended the Atlantic Ocean to Gaborone, but rather the country now has its own port facility at Walvis Bay, which is managed by Namport. Uirab made his declaration at a lease-signing ceremony officiated by Botswana’s High Commissioner to Namibia, Norman Molebege. Last year, Botswana cargo volumes passing into and out of Walvis Bay stood at 5000 tonnes, and the figure is expected to increase now that the Botswana Dry Port is operating. There’s plenty of time; the initial lease runs for 50 years, with an option for Botswana to renew for another 50 years. “The dry port is located outside the fenced area of the Walvis Bay port, and is 36 000 m2 in size, which is large. There are existing road and rail links to the site,” said Rosa Isaaks of Namport’s property division. SA shippers of cargo arriving by sea can reduce travel time to Botswana by using the Trans Kalahari Corridor (TKC). Transit time from Gaborone to Walvis Bay via the TKC is one day compared to two days from Gauteng. The Botswana dry port, or ICD (inland container depot), was arranged on a governmentto- government basis through the Walvis Bay Corridor Group. The ICD will be further developed with support infrastructure involving a container terminal, cold storage facilities, offices and a warehouse. A Namport announcement quotes Botswana Permanent Secretary for Works and Transport Carter Morupisi saying, “Walvis Bay is strategically the best placed harbour for our import and export needs, and now that we have a dry port here, we can save money and time.”