Ship repair plans enter phase 2

THE NPA has been hard at work securing for the port of Cape Town a ship repair facility of internationally accepted status.
Port manager Sanjay Govan says the long-awaited first phase proposal calls which closed in January elicited five bidders, two with international links but all with BEE components, an NPA pre-requisite.
The second phase entails bidders detailing what it is they envisage for the port and also the extent of financing. This could entail between R150 million and R300 million, though Govan reckons such a facility could come in at between R150 million and R200 million.
The new facility, to be located at quay 500, will cater mainly to smaller vessels, some of which have tended to congest the Sturrock dry dock at the expense of larger ships. “We still think there is a market for larger ships to undergo their repairs in Cape Town.”
Govan believes concrete developments should start taking place within two to three years and stresses that the NPA has not dictated to would-be concessionaires what sort of facility it would like in place. “This will after all be a full concessioning and definitely not a common user facility.”
The third major NPA pre-occupation has been attracting the gas and oil sector to capitalise on the West African boom, and Govan is encouraged to note that an increasing number of multi-nationals are opening offices in Cape Town and already sourcing various materials in Gauteng.
Considering the financial
spin-offs to the Western Cape
from this sector - the cost of refitting one vessel was around R300 million alone - Govan says it is vital that
the port create more space for oil
and gas-related requirements, and
this is being attended to.