Transnet Port Terminals is ploughing ahead with its massive upgrade of Cape Town Container Terminal in more ways than one by bringing back the dredgers to carry out vital quayside deepening work ahead of completion in April, 2013. “Major dredging to ultimately facilitate vessels with a draught of 14.2 metres, plus an additional 1m under keel, is well under way and scheduled for completion by May 2011,” Velile Dube, TPT’s regional terminal executive for Cape Town and Saldanha, told FTW last week. Berth 601, boasting four R95 million apiece super post panamax ship-to-shore cranes, is already operational while the first 100m of Berth 602 was recently handed over to operations, thus affording the terminal 420m of berth space to accommodate one large 305m vessel aside the long quay. The fifth and sixth Liebherrs were commissioned on August 27, working their first vessel on August 30. The 7th and 8th cranes will be in position at Berth 603 by March 2012. “In the past two to three months we have picked up to 25 moves per crane per hour. Ultimately we would expect 28 to 30 moves but much will depend on shipping lines coming up in good time with correct stowage and other relevant information.”
