Delays in bringing the extra crane from Durban due to the weather have seen ships at anchor waiting for a slot.
A fourth 40-ton container crane has been added to the container wharf in Port Elizabeth.
The crane, which has been fully refurbished, was purchased from Durban for R9-m. It will extend the container handling capacity of the port by 80 000 units a year, bringing potential container moves to 320 000 a year once two of the port's older cranes have been upgraded.
P&O Nedlloyd was responsible for transporting the crane from Durban to Port Elizabeth. It was carried on the barge Sascha, which had just delivered two new container cranes to Durban. The barge was towed by the tug Simoon. It cost R2,5-m to move the giant crane.
It will help speed up turnaround times in Port Elizabeth harbour, which have been affected by the removal of one of the older units for refurbishment, says container manager Eddie Hill. The two original cranes, installed in 1977, are being overhauled at a cost of R15-m.
In addition to being fitted with new motors, gearing and instrumentation, they will be raised by five metres to accommodate post-Panamax vessels.
Portnet is spending another R18-m extending the container handling area and the rail siding in Port Elizabeth. The container paved area will increase the terminal groundslots from 3 313 to 4 844, while the road-rail transfer area will be leng- thened to accommodate 50-truck trains in one operation, compared to the current 22 trucks, said Hill.
The investment in the PE harbour follows steady growth in container volumes. Portnet is encouraging shippers to use the port to reduce congestion problems in Durban. Rail tariffs have been equalised between Gauteng and the two ports for the next four years and PE is claiming shippers can knock up to two days off their delivery times using the port.
Most of the main lines now call regularly at Port Elizabeth and delays in bringing the extra crane from Durban due to the weather have seen ships anchored in the roadstead while waiting for a slot. Most locals can't remember the last time the port was this busy.
Portnet PE is a lot less happy to see its customers waiting. The problem was we were trying to cope with just two cranes. The new crane brings us back to our old capacity, says Hill. Such has been the growth in traffic that until late last year PE had operated with just the two cranes now being refurbished. Another refurbished gantry was purchased from Durban to provide a back-up when the older cranes were taken out of service for rebuilding.
Work on the two older cranes is expected to be completed by February next year, by which time Portnet will have trained up a new team of operators, says Hill.
By Ed Richardson
