Designed for ‘giants’ Ngqura expects 8 000 teu callers

NGQURA’S BIG advantage over other ports in Africa is that it has the depth of water to cater for the new generation of container vessels – with the harbour being designed to handle giant vessels carrying 12 500 containers and up to 16m draft. However, harbour master Captain Neil Chetty does not expect to see any of these vessels too soon. What he is expecting is vessels carrying 6000–8000 containers – twice as many as the biggest ships currently calling at Port Elizabeth. Ngqura will be ready to handle these vessels from July 2009, when the port will open for a “trial period” that will last until the end of September 2009. For the first six weeks all vessel movements will be confined to daylight hours as the pilots will have to familiarise themselves with the layout of the new port, its entrance channel for entry and departure and the meteorological conditions that exist. The container terminal will, however, be operating round the clock. By the time Ngqura goes “live” as one of the newest and most modern ports in Africa, it should also be one of the most efficient, with some of the most modern equipment and systems on the continent. Chetty says three of the most powerful tugs of 70 bollard tons each, which are being built in the Port of Durban shipyard, will be used in the Port of Ngqura.