Portnet study looks into new EL container terminal

Leonard Neill PORTNET HAS given the go-ahead for a feasibility study into future plans at the port of East London. A new container terminal for the West Bank is one of the major items on the agenda. This is in contrast to the situation two years ago when the authorities showed little interest in providing this additional facility in what was then a vastly under-utilised port. "Due to the huge increase in container traffic during the past 18 months, the port has proved itself to be more than viable and the expansion to handle increased container traffic is no longer pie in the sky," says port authority spokesman Terry Taylor. "It is now really a necessity and we are positive down here that it is going to become a reality." The last study was undertaken four years ago, but the expansion needs then were totally different from what is required now, says Taylor. At that stage it was proposed to extend the East Bank facility, but with the enormous growth in automotive industry movements in and out of the harbour in the past year, container activity has switched to the West Bank, where the car terminal is sited. Projections show that with a growth of 6% on the current container throughput, saturation point will be reached in 2005. However the growth in container traffic in the past year has now reached an astonishing 600%, says Taylor. "In June last year the East London harbour processed just over 1 000 6m units, but in June this year this figure had rocketed to 6 500." Vehicle and bulk handling facilities have ample capacity for a few years yet, he said, but even here plans are afoot for expansion. The vehicle terminal, for example, has capacity to handle around 50 000 vehicles a year, almost double the current throughput, but expansion plans are in place to have this increased to around 400 000 vehicles annually. "We have had a number of Gauteng motor manufacturers visiting the port in recent weeks to consider using it as a vehicles and components port," he says. "We are waiting for finality on tariffs on that proposal but it could easily increase not only the vehicle terminal use but impact on the container traffic as well."