Some 30 000 tons of manganese a month will start flowing through Lüderitz Bay from the Northern Cape before the end of the year according to Tino !Hanabeb, Namport commercial executive.
Interviewed at the 10th annual Namibian Logistics and Transport Workshop in Swakopmund, !Hanabeb said the manganese would be taken by truck to the Namibian railways siding at Ariamsvlei in southern Namibia. From there it will be moved by rail to Lüderitz Bay, which has sufficient capacity and storage space to handle the manganese, he said.
Lüderitz has a draught of 8.75 metres, which means it can accommodate vessels of up to 30 000 tons. Port Elizabeth, southern Africa’s biggest manganese export hub, is using berths with depths ranging from eight metres to 11.7 metres.
