‘Ngqura has no ro-ro ambitions’

With an R11-billion, 8 500-sqm
automotive manufacturing plant
being developed at the Coega
Industrial Development Zone
(IDZ), the big question arising is
just what role the adjacent Port of
Ngqura will play.
The investment by the Beijing
Automotive Group (BAIC) and
SA’s Industrial Development
Corporation (IDC) is the biggest
single automotive investment
in Africa in the last 40 years,
according to Dr Ayanda
Vilakazi, unit head marketing
& communications at the Coega
Development Corporation (CDC).
So what is the Transnet National
Ports Authority (TNPA) saying
about the Port of Ngqura’s future
involvement in this?
For example, FTW was under
the impression that the rollon,
roll-off (roro) automotive
shipments would largely remain in
Port Elizabeth. Will we, however,
see a roro berth in Ngqura at some
point?
The basic answer, according
to Mpumi Dweba-Ketane, port
manager for the Port of Ngqura, is
no – with both ports having their
own individual roles.
“The Port of Ngqura’s future
involvement in the BAIC plant
will be to handle the project cargo
during construction,” he told FTW,
“as well as component imports for
the assembly of the fully built
units (FBUs) during plant
operations and exports of
components.”
Meanwhile, the Port of PE is
currently handling roro with one
berth. “But in future,” said Dweba-
Ketane, “once the manganese
and liquid bulk operations are
relocated to the Port of Ngqura,
two berth operations will be
developed.”
Ngqura, he added, is positioned
as the transhipment hub and PE
remains the premier automotive
hub.