Chinese company gets ship repair go-ahead proposed dry-dock will handle vessels up to 300 000 dwt

TERRY HUTSON
EFFORTS TO introduce ship repair facilities to Richards Bay have drawn closer with the announcement that a Chinese company, Wenchong Shipyards Company, has been awarded the preferred bidder status by the National Ports Authority.
Of course nothing is ever cut and dried concerning port concessions in South Africa until the deed is actually done, and such an event is keenly awaited. The Chinese company, which has linked with Johannesburg-based BEE partner Imbani Consortium, has among proposals under scrutiny a dry dock capable of handling vessels up to 300 000-dwt that could provide a much needed answer along the long South African coast.
Provided the project comes off, and it has been under study since the mid 1990s, it will provide an enormous impetus to the port and surrounding industry, say Richards Bay port users.
The NPA believes the 19m deep port access channel and about 25 hectares of available land give added incentive to such a development. The appointed bidder is expected to enter into a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) concession agreement with the NPA.
Richards Bay currently handles about 1700 vessels annually and handles a total tonnage of about 90 million tons.