King Shaka equipped with ‘latest and greatest’

The air cargo terminal at the newly-opened King Shaka International Airport in KwaZulu Natal is furnished with all the latest and greatest in equipment and systems. Trading under the banner of Dube TradePort, the terminal’s access controls, scanning systems and physical layout are designed with high security in mind. It has space for 202 aircraft unit loading devices (ULD), of which 48 are temperature- controlled. The handling of international cargo is the sole responsibility of Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), while domestic cargo is handled by either the national carrier, SAA, or Express Air Services (EAS). The terminal, which has direct air-side access, allows fast movement of both export and import cargo. It is initially capable of handling 100 000-tonnes of cargo a year, and has room for expansion to a two million tonne total. Offering ease of flow, the terminal uses the fully automated, elevating transfer vehicle (ETV) – a German- designed-and-manufactured system. Large bulk is handled mechanically, while courier goods are handled through an express system. Developed by the same German company, the cargo inventory control system is fed track-and-trace information from barcode scanners fitted to all the moving and stationary equipment – and keeps an accurate record of all the freight movements throughout the building. The SA Revenue Service (Sars) customs, meantime, uses an X-ray system to examine cargo – allowing officials to immediately release or retain the products. WFS uses the “Cargo Spot” system to manage its freight business in SA – a sophisticated cargo management system, internationally tried-and-tested and acting as the primary communication connection with airline and regulatory agent systems. All the major government agencies are housed in the terminal – including Sars customs, the national health department, the department of agriculture, and the SA Police Service (SAPS).