New port bill awaits final nod

Alan Peat THE NEW National Ports Authority (NPA) Bill was out on a "roadshow" around all the main port cities for the last week. "This bill gives regulatory backing to the NPA, and to the National Commercial Ports Policy (NCPP)," said Dave Rennie, c.e.o. of Unicorn Shipping and an executive of the Association of Shipping Lines (ASL). "It is now up for public consultation." It effectively sets up the NPA as a separate entity Ð removing it from its current abode as a Transnet subsidiary. "The bill bestows its various powers as landlord, regulator and concessionaire for the countryÕs six main ports," said Rennie. It is a regulatory framework that has been around for some time, FTW was told by a senior public servant, and the basis known to a number of members of the private sector.