Deepening of CT berths gets moving

AS THE Danish-flagged suction dredger Gefion R fired up last week to begin a 10-month deepening of the port of Cape Town’s four berths, the shallow, less utilised berth 600 was cordoned off as a sort of stowage area for equipment used by the Danish contractor, Rohde and Nielsen. This is necessary while initial deepening proceeds at berth 601 and will be followed piecemeal by the remaining three berths. Transnet plans to build a bridge from the terminal loading zone to the port industrial park on the far side of Marine Drive, Paarden Eiland, relieving pressure on Marine Drive and Duncan Road and improving traffic in the port. Eskom, in the firing line by all and sundry over its inability to deliver constant, dependable power, is to upgrade power in the container terminal, which along with hospitals enjoys preference as a strategic facility. Willie van Dyk, container terminal project director, says if the port’s power supply is switched off so too is the city of Cape Town’s economy. Albert Schuitmaker, CE of the Cape Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry, says the R4.2 billion terminal extension will elevate the port of Cape Town to meet the demands of the future so that new generation containerships are able to call.