Government is moving into the next phase of a plan to put a framework for Durban’s strategic Island View fuel precinct into effect, opening the way for qualifying new market participants to use ring-fenced terminal capacity.
Speaking at the Fuels Industry Association of South Africa (FIASA) Annual Imbizo, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said the terminal operator agreements linked to the Section 79 Directive issued under the National Ports Act had all been concluded, allowing government to move to the next phase of the process.
"The third-party access framework has been finalised with ring-fenced capacity intended to facilitate participation for qualifying new market participants for access to terminal operations in Island View," she said.
The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) was rationalising sites that would be marketed through a special-purpose vehicle, while government was finalising the participation mechanism for new entrants, Creecy said. "We hope to make public the process by which new entrants can join in the second quarter of this financial year.”
The latest announcement builds on the Section 79 Directive issued by Creecy in 2025, which renewed terminal operator agreements at Island View while introducing measures aimed at increasing competition, transformation and third-party access to strategic liquid bulk infrastructure.
Creecy said the objective was to create opportunities for qualifying market participants, including new entrants, to access storage infrastructure on a transparent and non-discriminatory basis.
She added that government had largely addressed the policy framework and was now focused on operationalisation, including engagement with industry stakeholders and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) to establish governance arrangements, standard operating procedures and capacity-allocation processes necessary for implementation
