Ports focus on internal linkages to support mines

A latecomer
to a briefing
in Port
Elizabeth by
the Port Management
Association of
Eastern and
Southern Africa
(Pmaesa) would
be forgiven for
thinking they
had walked into
a meeting of
rail operators.
The
importance
of rail, and
to a lesser
extent
road, was
emphasised
by all three
speakers – Pmaesa chairman
Bisey Uirab (also the chief
executive of the Namibia Ports
Authority); Pmaesa secretary
general Nozipho Mdawe; and
Transnet
National Ports
Authority
(TNPA) chief
executive
Richard
Vallihu.
Ports cannot
be seen in
isolation, said
Mdawe. “We
no longer
speak about
ports being
competitive, but about supply
chains being competitive,” he
told a media briefing attended
by FTW.
Shippers take into account the
length of time it takes for cargo to
get to or from the port along the
logistics corridor, as well as at the
efficiency of the port itself when
deciding which route to use.
Ports need to
collaborate with
road and rail to
reduce the cost of
moving freight,
he said.
According to
Uirab, progress
is being made
in reducing
supply chain
costs through the
various corridor
initiatives serving
the ports in the region.
“We need to leverage the
capacity of the ports to the
advantage of the region,” added
Vallihu.
Landside and port operations
need to be better integrated for
the ports to operate at their full
potential.
Pmaesa
has a good
relationship
with bodies
representing
rail in the
region such as
the Southern
African Railways
Association
(Sara), and it
welcomes fresh
investment in
the rail sector
across the subcontinent,
added
Uirab.
The move to standard gauge
by rail operators in countries
like Kenya, Ethiopia and
Tanzania would serve to make
rail – and the ports in the
countries – more competitive for
bulk shipments
of minerals.
It would also
support the
beneficiation
of the minerals
as it would
reduce the
costs of moving
processed
goods.
Mines
and other
customers
should start
enjoying the
benefits of
investment in rail across many
of the 25 countries represented
by Sara by 2017, according to
Uirab.
INSERT & CAPTION 1
We need to leverage the
capacity of the ports
to the advantage of the
region.
– Richard Vallihu
INSERT & CAPTION 2 
Mines and other
customers should start
enjoying the benefits of
investment in rail across
many of the 25 countries
represented by SARA by
2017.
– Bisey Uirab