Saldanha ready for container development if CT plans fall through

RAY SMUTS
SPARKLING WINE corks will be popping all over the show, most likely in December, when the National Ports Authority opens its long-awaited new administrative offices at Saldanha. Port manager Eugene Kearns says the NPA has been housed in the old prefab, though renovated, Mossgas building since divisionalisation of Portnet in 2001 but excessive maintenance costs and the need for proper office accommodation accelerated the provision of new quarters. The spanking new three-storey building adjacent to Blue Water Bay comes at a cost of some R20 million. Kearns maintains the new development should not be seen in isolation but as part of a bigger plan to make NPA-owned land more readily available for commercial activities. The new premises will house around 80 personnel and include a customer service centre. As to the likelihood of long-term plans for a container terminal at Saldanha being brought forward in the (hopefully) unlikely event of a negative government decision toward NPA/Sapo proposals for extending the Cape Town container terminal, Kearns presents this viewpoint. “Accelerating a long-term plan for Saldanha to handle containers is an exciting option for us, with plenty of land available, even though it would mean mega-expansion.” He adds that were this to come about, predictions are to handle five million TEUs by 2050. On the all-important issue of security, the port of Saldanha has embarked on a series of initiatives to comply with the International Ship Port Security Code (ISPS), some of these including perimeter fencing, lighting upgrades, improved access controls and the installation of closed circuit television. The port of Saldanha has made steady progress on these projects and expects the work to be completed within the next two years, the NPA maintaining that “significant improvement” in security controls is already evident, the ultimate goal being to provide a safe and secure port for customers.