CT port prioritises extension of stack capacity at container terminal

The Port of Cape Town is in the process of finalising its master plan that will serve as the guide for infrastructure development in the longterm. According to Hlamalani Phephenyane, Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) planning and development manager in Cape Town, no major change in the footprint of the port can be expected over the next seven years. “Our focus in the short term (the next seven years) is developing the port precinct plans and the master plan,”
she said. “We will be done with the master plan this financial year and that will be the guide to growing the port sustainably.” Phephenyane said one of the projects that would be undertaken during this time period was increasing the stack capacity at the container terminal. “We are at present limited to 1 million TEUs on the terminal side and we want to expand that capacity to match the berth
capacity of 1.4 million TEUs.” This, she said, was in line with the growth projections of the port which was growing at around 3%. “All of the other terminals in the port have sufficient capacity for the next few years to meet growth. In fact, we have to come up with innovative ideas to find new business to use up the breakbulk and dry bulk capacity that we have. The only place where we are running out of space is at
the container terminal.” In terms of longer-term projects spanning the period from 2025 to 2040, these include the further extension of the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT). “The biggest driver of this plan is the capability to handle larger vessels at the port. Research is already under way to see how we can grow the container terminal.” At present, said Phephenyane, it was envisioned that an additional berth be built at the container terminal that would be longer and
deeper and close to the port’s entrance channel. “The long-term picture also includes Culemborg which is a critical asset for supporting the growth of the port. It is not within the port limits, but it is Transnet land.” She said with the ultimate goal of becoming a one-stop shop, Culemborg offered the Port of Cape Town the opportunity to build much- needed value-added services that it could not provide within the constrained limits of the current port.