Durban expects four more straddles this month

Programme update Anton Marsh JUST RELEASED to FTW by the Durban port liaison committee (DPLC) is the latest update on the “Port of Durban Development 2005”. Already commissioned are 44 new Kalmar straddle-carriers, with seven more commissioned in March due to be followed by another four this month (April), says the DPLC report. Also, plans are in hand to refurbish 36 of the existing straddle-carriers and to allocate some of these to the multi purpose terminal (MPT). DPLC is appealing to Transnet chairman Dr Bongani Khumalo to speed up the administrative processing of three panamax ship-to-shore gantries where the tenders are currently under adjudication by the parastatal. These gantry cranes will be added to the three already being leased by SA Port Operations (Sapo). “The National Ports Authority (NPA) has formally advised the city of its intentions to close off some of the Maydon Wharf roads to facilitate the cluster process,” says the DPLC. “Good progress is being made in NPA negotiations with clusters 2, 4 and 5.”