Second ice plant to be built, writes Ed Richardson
A DECISION by Transnet to shelve long-dormant plans for a waterfront in Port
Elizabeth have opened up the harbour for development as a fishing port.
Up to now the lack of facilities in the province has seen most of the benefits from the resources off the Eastern Cape coast being enjoyed in the Western Cape.
Line fish caught in the Eastern Cape waters are among the finest in the world, and there is a growing export market.
Within a day of the announcement by Portnet that it was shelving the waterfront project, the Port Elizabeth fishing industry announced plans to build a second 40-ton a day ice plant.
The premium quality fish caught off the Eastern Cape are stored on ice before being flown fresh to destinations in Europe and the East.
Around nine hectares of land in the harbour will now be made available to the fishing industry for value-added production. The land was set aside in 1989 in anticipation of the development of a waterfront on the same theme as the Victoria and Alfred in Cape Town.
Portnet is now putting its weight behind the fishermen.
Portnet grabbed this opportunity to redevelop the site and expand the needs for this industry. The port authority has met with the industry's role players to plan the development. Portnet also spent R7 million last year in the removal of railway lines and overhead cables. There are plans to spend a further R5 million this year on
providing the essential services, such as roads, water and electricity supplies, lighting, and sewerage to create sites for lease to the industry.
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