MSC will be the first shipping line to make a commercial call on the port of Ngqura, according to Transnet Port Terminals’ chief executive officer Tau Morwe. The ship was due to call as soon as September 30. Speaking at a business breakfast in Port Elizabeth last week, Morwe said one of the first tasks of newly appointed chief operating officer Nosipho Damasane was to meet with top MSC management in Geneva to finalise the deal. Other shipping lines that spoke to FTW on condition of anonymity said they were watching the developments with interest, and would start services in and out of Ngqura after the inevitable teething problems had been overcome. One of the lines was considering moving empty containers first in order to limit losses due to the containers being damaged in the first months of operations. However, one PE-based shipper predicts that “we will all be using Ngqura within six months”. This, as Morwe admitted, raises questions around the future of the Port of Port Elizabeth. Port Elizabeth would become the “premier automotive terminal in the country,” he predicted. Other developments would depend on discussions between the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro, shipping companies, business and Transnet. He said it was “incumbent upon stakeholders to ensure they have a role in what happens in the port.” Transnet has identified the need for two more post-panamax ship to shore gantries for the Port of Port Elizabeth in order to ensure that the container terminal can continue operating. Morwe said Port Elizabeth would continue to be needed as a port as the economy started growing again. Referring to a campaign to move the manganese ore facility, which is gaining momentum, Morwe said the terminal would be moved, but it had not yet been decided whether to reroute the manganese through Ngqura or Saldanha Bay. Ngqura was originally designed as a bulk port, but with its designation as a container hub for South Africa, the emphasis was now on the container berths Morwe told FTW. Construction is already under way on two new berths, with a further eight in the pipeline. The Ngqura container terminal will be able to accommodate Ultra-Mega ships carrying 6000 to 10 000 TEUs. It will be able to handle in excess of 100 container moves per ship working hour with sufficient stack and berth capacity to cater for future growth up to two million TEUs, according to Transnet.
