Transnet team resubmits proposal for Cape terminal extension

RAY SMUTS
A TRANSNET team including representatives drawn from the National Ports Authority, South African Port Operations and Spoornet, will have its re-worked report on the extension of the Cape Town Container Terminal ready for re-submission to the department of environmental affairs and tourism by the end of this month. (July) The report has been undertaken at the request of the responsible minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk who, after appointing his own consultants to look into the environmental effects of the multi-million rand extension, gave the NPA two months to address certain issues. He agreed to respond within 60 days, round about the end of September. According to Cape Town’s Port Liaison Forum, Sapo has in the meantime identified three sites capable of providing additional stacking space for containers. These are the huge Spoornet-owned Belcon site near Belville, some distance from the port; the old NPA-owned Eskom power station site in Paarden Eiland; and Transnet-controlled Culemborg. The latter two are conveniently located close to the container terminal. Oscar Borchards, business unit manager at the container terminal, is confident the re-submitted report will be “quite complete.” Among those Cape Town-based personnel delivering input to the Transnet initiative to address Van Schalkwyk’s concerns are Billy Cilliers, the NPA’s manager for planning and development, Rob Hutchison, Sapo container terminal engineer and Leon Blom, operations manager at Belcon.