Proposed wall will provide two wind-free berths in CT

NATIONAL PORT Authority's Billy Cilliers is not given to stuttering, but Cape Town's wind wall study is at such an indeterminate stage that only a collection of "ifs" must suffice for now. All those "ifs" will most likely be replaced by "nows" should the study by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) prove conclusively that the wall will at least be able to harness some of the Cape's infamous winds which cause mayhem to shipping movements during the summer months in particular. The R400 000 study is in the hands of the CSIR's Adam Goliger, a world expert on wind, and the result expected by the end of January next year. Many aspects had to be considered before the study could get underway, including the positioning of the R80 million wall in relation to the quayside and the possibility of two staggered walls rather than one structure, the length of which has been fixed at 590m and height at about 30m, or five boxes high. "There are indications that the concept can work but the study is not far enough advanced to come up with a conclusive Ôyes' or Ôno', says Cilliers, NPA's manager of planning and development in the Port of Cape Town . "If it does work and if approved I don't see the wall taking longer than 18 to 24 months to erect, enabling us to look where we are from a strategic point of view with regard to container operations." In Cilliers' view, the wall would certainly impact on terminal efficiency "as we are going to be able to provide a much more reliable service during the summer months with at least two wind-free berths." What is more, the structure would in the short term allow for increased capacity of the new high cube reefer boxes. "In the long term we are talking about expansion of the container terminal which is being entered into our next budget as a prime consideration." The Port of Cape Town can at present handle 1 million TEUs per annum on its berths but not in its stacking area and the R250 million, 1 800m, extension of the container terminal in a north-easterly direction toward Milnerton will rectify this. If approved, the extension could be completed by 2006.