The new licensing process
for terminal operators
has been completed and
is now being moved into
its implementation stage,
according to Paul Balfour
of Transnet National Ports
Authority (TNPA).
“There were 90
applications,” he said,
“and we have licensed
89 sites countrywide
(one application was a
duplication). No applications
have been refused.”
Balfour also told FTW
that there were now no
other terminals on TNPA’s
list of terminals nationwide
that had not been included
in this current application
procedure. That list was
one from November 2006 –
when the licensing process
was first promulgated in
the National Ports Act.
According to Balfour, all
these were deemed licence
holders, and have since been
re-licensed under the new
procedure. The new licences,
therefore, are effectively
retrospective to that date.
Certain of the control
procedures in the new
licensing regime are now
being put into place.
An important one is
terminal performance
monitoring. In this,
performance agreements
will be signed by terminal
operators that will see
them held responsible for
operational effectiveness
and productivity, and safety,
health and environmental
compliance.
According to Herbert
Msagala, TNPA GM of
operations, the aim of the
new system is to improve
port efficiency drastically.
The procedure for this is
currently being assembled by
TNPA planning executive,
Ricky Bhikraj. He told FTW
that he would be sending a
presentation of the scheme
to terminal operators this
week, and that this would be
released to us thereafter.
The inclusion of
performance monitoring
and targets in agreements
and licences with terminal
operators is in line with
the National Ports Act that
states in terms of Section 65
that deemed licensees will
be performance-managed
through the setting of
targets.
Operators that do not
meet their targets face a
range of penalties ranging
from a warning to the loss
of their terminal operating
licence.
An executive for a major
logistics operation told FTW
that they had received all the
licences they required for all
their applicable operational
sites around the country.
These sites are deemed to
be in-port operations –
implying that they move
goods across the quays.
No problems were
experienced during
the licensing procedure,
and the company was
satisfied with the terminal
performance conditions
that are due to be imposed,
the spokesman added.
The licences are linked to
the terminal’s leaseholding,
and will last until that lease
expires.
It is also believed that
TNPA has raised a separate
licensing process for
stevedoring operations at the
ports, but FTW was unable
to get any details on this
from the TNPA before print
deadline.
CAPTION
Terminal operators will be held responsible for operational effectiveness and productivity, and
safety, health and environmental compliance.
