RB dry bulk terminal expansion nears completion

THE R300 million refurbishment of Richards Bay’s dry bulk terminal is well under way with project management contractors Bosch Projects predicting an 18 month completion date. According to Dave Chappelow, business director of the Durban-based company, the project includes the midlife refitting of nine shiploaders and unloaders, two rotary rail tipplers as well as 40km of conveyor routes. The facility handles everything from andalusite to zircon. “The terminal has large sections still operating with the original aged equipment and is struggling to cope with increasing demands. Efficiency levels are now reported to be at about 60% of the designed capacity,” says Chappelow. “Working in close conjunction with SA Port Operations, Bosch Projects is geared to restore the bulk terminal to its former operational capacity, when it was dubbed ‘the Singapore of South Africa’ because of its high productivity levels.”