Ports advisory body ready for action

The recent appointment of the
members of the seven Port
Consultative Committees
(PCCs) and their central
body, the National Ports
Consultative Committee
(NPCC), creates a vital
advisory body to the minister
of transport in formulating
policy that will best satisfy
the needs of the ports and
their users.
According to Riad Khan,
CEO of the Ports Regulator,
the committees and their
central body form a proper
consultative forum – able to
make decisions on problems
before they become critical.
And he emphasised that the
bodies had to contain senior
voices in the various sectors
of industry and government
that composed them. “They
will be making decisions
on matters such as capital
expenditure (capex) at the
ports, pricing of services in
the ports and policy matters,”
Khan told FTW. “As such,
the members have to be from
industry levels that have
an extensive grounding in
matters of this import.”
The minister of transport
has now appointed a PCC
for each of the seven ports
in SA. Their function – for
any matter concerning the
respective port – includes
providing a forum for
exchange of views between
the Transnet National Ports
Authority (TNPA) and
other interested parties, and
advising the minister.
At the same time the
TNPA must consult the
PCC on any major scheme
relating to the expansion or
development at the relevant
port as well as any other
matter on which the minister
may require the authority to
consult the committee.
Each PCC comprises two
representatives of the TNPA;
three representatives of the
port users bodies; one local
and one central government
representative; two
representatives of organised
labour; and one representative
of the SA Maritime Safety
Authority (Samsa).
The NPCC comprises one
representative of each PCC;
four national government
representatives; one
representative of the National
Port Users’ Forum (NPUF);
one representative of labour;
and one representative of the
TNPA. This central body
will advise the minister on
national commercial ports
policy matters and measures
that need to be taken to
improve the regulatory
framework governing
management and operation
of ports. It also needs to
consider any proposed
substantial alterations to the
TNPA’s tariffs.