Durban looks set to quadruple capacity

Bayhead dig-out basin to go ahead TERRY HUTSON THE PORT of Durban received a major boost with the news that Transnet plans to go ahead with quadrupling the port’s container capacity by digging a new multi billion rand basin at Bayhead. The idea has been around a while but the announcement of a meeting set to take place yesterday (May 10) to establish a public forum to take this project forward indicates the urgency. Forecasts provided by several teams working on behalf of the NPA say that that the port will run out of capacity by as early as 2010 and that drastic action is necessary in order to avoid a national crisis. The new basin at Bayhead goes hand in hand with work that has already begun to widen and deepen the port’s entrance channel. This alone is expected to cost Transnet up to R2 billion. And as if timed to coincide with the announcement, a leading ship operator this past week pointed out that world shipping was expected to double every seven years. Nicola Arena, CE of MSC in the USA, told the British shipping journal Fairplay that while shipping companies were able to build a new container ship in just seven months he was concerned at the ability of ports throughout the world to cope with demand. “Ocean carriers and ports are the indispensable tools of globalisation,” said Arena. “Without modern ships and efficient ports there would be no globalisation.” Seaborne trade accounts for 95% of SA’s international trade and Durban handles 65% of the country’s container traffic and 35% of the total by weight. In 2006 Durban’s container throughout increased by 19.4% to 2.335 million TEUs but even at a more conservative rate of growth the port will run out of capacity within a couple of years. With the advent of Bayhead the port should be able to handle up to 5 million TEUs annually but even that will be good for only a few more years. The proposed new basin requires the relocation of Spoornet marshalling yards and possible widening of the Esplanade and Maydon Channels – items that are likely to arouse opposition from environmentalists. The city meanwhile has bought into the project and is actively supportive of finding solutions that include developing the harbour southwards away from the CBD.