Walvis Bay completes repair of jetty

REFURBISHMENT OF the petroleum jetty in the port of Walvis Bay has been completed after high winds and strong tides damaged the facility which was installed three years ago. An average of 24 vessels call annually at the jetty to offload 700 000 tons of petroleum products imported to meet Namibia’s needs. The remains of the old boom were used in the refurbishment which was reinforced with steel wire and a special swing constructed to close the gap between jetty and vessel. The boom itself was shortened to reduce the covered area. The entire process was carried out as part of the port’s ISO 14001 environmental management programme. The target was to avoid water pollution due to spillages or a burst pipe. Diesel, heavy fuel, petrol and kerosene are the main commodities handled at the jetty.