Big time savings expected
TERRY HUTSON
A GROUP of Durban businessmen has revived the idea of using barges to move cargo to and from ships berthed conventionally at the port.
It’s an idea that has been around for some time but may come to fruition if negotiations are successful. The theory isn’t new, but last came under public scrutiny in Durban in the mid 1990s during the debate about enlarging the container terminal.
The idea suggests that cargo can be worked both on the landside and the opposite side of self-geared ships, with the bayside operation being onto barges, which would then take or fetch the cargo to a cargo handling point in the Bayhead.
Escalating costs
An idea like this may sound unusual or even revolutionary for conservative South Africa, but OceanMasters, which is the company making the proposal, points out that current escalating costs involving the chartering of vessels makes any idea that lessens the time spent in port worth considering.
The Bayhead marine area from which the barges would operate is the Silt Canal, which is largely unused except by fishing and pleasure craft. The landward area was until recently part of the SA Shipyards complex and is currently being used mainly for the handling of second-hand car imports.
