Approval has been granted
for the establishment of the
first facility outside Walvis
Bay harbour to handle
and store dangerous and
hazardous goods.
The facility will help boost
volumes through the port
of Walvis Bay and along the
corridors to the mining areas
in the region, according to
Thomas Jonas, director of
Native Storage Facility.
Currently hazardous and
dangerous goods may only
be stored for a limited period
in the port of Walvis Bay
after which they need to be
shipped to the consignee.
“With this new facility
larger quantities of
hazardous cargo can be
landed at Walvis Bay, which
will immediately reduce the
logistics costs of the different
commodities.”
Permission to build and
operate the facility has
followed a “lengthy process
which involved various
ministries, local government
and the municipality in
Walvis Bay,” he says.
The Native Storage Facility
site comprises 10 hectares of
land.
In the first phase it will
have a 3 000-sqm warehouse
and facilities for the loading,
offloading and handling of
dangerous and hazardous
cargo, says Jonas.
“Subject to demand, the
facilities can be extended
to cater for any size and
different commodities of
hazardous and dangerous
goods.”
The licensed facility will
serve the Namibian market,
as well as neighbouring
countries such as Botswana,
Zambia and the South of
the Katanga Province in the
DRC.
Construction on the new
facility is due to start in May,
with the facility operational
in July 2017.
