Terry Hutson IT’S SAID that the proof of a pudding lies in its eating. If so then that’s what did it for FTW while visiting the port of Saldanha last week. Not that FTW got to eating pudding, or oysters for that matter, but the sight of an oyster farm placed right next to SA Port Operations’ (Sapo) iron ore stockpile along the port’s quay wall, made for a convincing argument. And according to the oyster farmer the quality of water on ‘his’ side of the quay is now better than ever. And as most people know, oysters are highly susceptible to contamination in the water. The reason for the visit was to see the work being done to implement international ISO14001 environmental standards at Sapo’s 13 terminals. Saldanha’s iron ore terminal, with its chronic dust problem, was chosen as the first to attain an upgrade to OHSAS18011 integrated environmental and health system, while the adjacent multi purpose terminal has been awarded ISO14001. “These are the first two of our 13 terminals to have these systems implemented,” said Raymond van Rooyen, Sapo’s Safety, Health, Environment and Quality (SHEQ) systems manager. They are running in conjunction with a R92 million expansion and equipment upgrade at the Saldanha Bulk Terminal.
