Transnet National Ports Authority’s board has approved the parastatal’s plans to expand KwaZulu-Natal ports as part of a more-than-R100-billion new provincial logistics hub development project.
TNPA director of the KZN Logistics Hub, Dr Bridgette Gasa-Toboti, said in a statement that the approval had set in motion subsequent governance processes that would now be undertaken by the parastatal as stipulated by the National Ports Act of 2005.
“The expansion plans form part of the more-than-R100bn Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN) Logistics Hub Programme, which seeks to position the Durban port as an international container hub that will boast an increased container capacity of 11.4 million TEUs and automotive capacity exceeding 900 000 units,” Gasa-Tpboti said.
The Richards Bay Port is being positioned as a dry bulk hub port and the plans are also aligned to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s Strategic Plan 0-2025, which
features a new berth for handling Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) as a cleaner alternative to coal for power generation. Several dry bulk terminals and mineral-handling facilities are also
earmarked for relocation from the Port of Durban’s Island View and Maydon Wharf precincts to the Port of Richards Bay.
She said the board approval followed major milestones that TNPA’s KZN Logistics Hub had recently realised, including the conclusion of a detailed validation process of the Port of Durban.
“This process was carried out under the supervision of the World Bank by international independent consultants Maritime and Transport Business Solutions and PDRW Consulting Port and Coastal Engineers. The validation process is done to confirm the feasibility of the plans by independent experts and determine whether the presented business case is indeed achievable. In both instances the independent consultants have confirmed feasibility of both plans,” Gasa-Tpboti said.
