Port Elizabeth’s tugs – which are older than many of the people working on them – are due to be retired after 35 years of service. According to Herbert Msagala, general manager operations at Transnet National Ports Authority, two new 70-ton bollard pull tugs will be taken into service during 2015/2016, followed by a new pilot boat in 2017/18. The current average age of the fleet is 35 years. Other upgrades include the deepening of the port to 16 metres by 2020 in order to ensure that there is a uniform depth across all TNPA terminals; the construction of a rail staging area in the port and automotive rail siding; the building of an automotive logistics park; and establishing direct rail connections with the local original equipment manufacturers. A wave and wind monitoring system has been commissioned from the CSIR in order to cater for the larger vessels and to understand the relatively new long wave surge in the Port Elizabeth port.
