With the Port of Saldanha
being positioned as the
Western Cape’s oil and gas
hub, there’s less likelihood
of the familiar sight of rigs
being repaired at the Cape
Town port.
No rigs have berthed
at the Port of Cape Town
during 2015 and there are
no bookings on the cards for
the immediate future.
Whilst the development in
Saldanha does not mean rigs
will not be serviced in Cape
Town, the focus at present
is currently on the multibillion
rand project that
will grow Saldanha into the
country’s oil and gas hub.
The economic impact
of the oil and gas vessel
repair industry is one of the
reasons why not only local
authorities but also port
authorities actively seek this
type of business.
Transnet National Ports
Authority (TNPA) is set to
transform Saldanha Bay
over the course of the next
four years through a R13-
billion development project.
Being fast-tracked through
the government’s Operation
Phakisa programme, the
goal is to attract as many
possible oil rigs to the South
African coast through
Saldanha, the country’s
deepest natural port, by
offering a “one-stop” facility.
Plans include a 380m
long, 21m deep rig-repair
berth to service deep-water
rigs as well as a jetty of 500
metres where support vessels
can be serviced and repaired
– all supported through the
industrial development zone
that is being set up next to
the port.
CAPTION
Developments at the Port of Saldanha Bay have seen fewer rigs taking to South African waters.
