Sapo responds to car terminal space crisis

Durban Car Terminal to provide 2500 extra parking slots TERRY HUTSON FACED WITH a skyrocketing turnover of motor units moving through the Durban Car Terminal, SA Port Operations (Sapo) is about to take over a large chunk of the new Point Docks area opposite G berth. The move, scheduled for June 1, gives Sapo an additional 2500 parking slots in a secure and dedicated area in addition to the existing 6500 slots at the present terminal. During the fiscal year ended March 31, 2006 the number of vehicles moving through the Durban Car Terminal reached a record 278 000 and Sapo anticipates that this will increase to 330 000 to 340 000 units this current year. These volumes are well beyond the design capacity of the present car terminal. “Imports have gone berserk and exports are growing,” said Graham Braby, Sapo chief operations officer. “Our biggest challenge is capacity and as a result the G block area of the new Point multi-purpose terminal has been handed over to the car terminal which will make use of G berth in addition to its own dedicated R berth.” The inclusion of G block will help Sapo tide things over until a planned relocation to Salisbury Island by 2009. The Salisbury Island move involves the transfer of the South African Naval Station to another, as yet undecided, location within the harbour or even to another port. The Durban Car Terminal would then have use of four berths on Pier 1 adjacent to the new Pier One Container Terminal – berths 100 – 103 and the entire area of Salisbury Island would become the new terminal.