Preferred bidder identified for proposed liquid bulk terminal

With the lease for the liquid
bulk terminal at the port of
Port of Elizabeth set lapse in
2014, the pressure is on the
Port of Ngqura to complete its
parallel process of contracting
a builder and operator to take
over the service.
According to Tau Morwe,
CEO of Transnet National
Ports Authority, a preferred
bidder has been identified
and a meeting is planned for
July 14. “Once we have met
in July it will be all systems
go and we will present them
as the preferred bidder to the
Transnet board next month.”
Rajesh Dana, port manager
for the Port of Port Elizabeth,
said no long-term leases
would be issued for the liquid
bulk terminal after 2014. “If
the Port of Ngqura is not in
a position to take over the
facility when the current lease
expires, we will consider shortterm
leases, but we hope to
avoid such a situation.”
He said once the preferred
bidder was announced they
would have to build a new
terminal at Ngqura which they
would also have to operate.
“We will align our ending of
the long-term leases with the
building of the new facility at
Ngqura as much as possible,”
he told FTW.
Commercial discussions
have already been held
between the Transnet
authorities and the preferred
bidder, who has not yet
been identified officially.
Environmental studies are
believed to be one of the
biggest challenges as Ngqura
is situated in an environment
with strict guidelines around
the fauna and flora.
The Port Elizabeth liquid
bulk terminal is currently
operated by four major
oil companies and has an
annual throughput of 942 732
kilolitres with about 116 vessel
calls. With only 28% berth
occupancy, TNPA says it
makes sense to move the entire
facility to Ngqura.