The Port of Cape Town is set to pilot a long wave forecasting system to address the ongoing challenge of surging. The system is expected to help minimise the impact of heavy winds which often bring the port to a standstill. It is particularly affected during the windy season between November and March, and has often been forced to cease operations by increased levels of surging under certain weather conditions. Long swells in the port see vessels continue to roll, heave and surge alongside the quay while berthed, making it near impossible to service them efficiently or safely. According to a spokesman for the Cape’s Port Liaison Forum (PLF), this system has been long awaited and would address some of the delays currently being experienced. It would enable the port to make operational forecasts that would ultimately allow for better planning for the port and its users. “We also welcome the renting and testing of a shore tensioning mooring system,” said the spokesman. In a presentation to the PLF, a representative of Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) said a tender for the hydraulic tensioning system – which would be tested at the port for a period of two years – had opened earlier in October and would closed on November 19. TNPA hopes to appoint a contractor towards the end of December or the beginning of January at the latest to install the system at the port by February next year. The port authority has committed itself to finding a solution to the surging problem, but said it would only consider acquiring the hydraulic tension units after a stringent two-year testing period onsite. If found to be the right solution, the port would then set in motion the purchasing of the system in February 2022.
INSERT: We also welcome the renting and testing of a shore tensioning mooring system. – Spokesperson
