Walvis Bay targets 200 000 TEUs this year

“In these difficult times we are growing,” says Elias Mwenyo, Namport manager sales and services. So much so that the “180 000 TEU” celebratory T-shirt is now out of date. “We’re going to do 200 000 TEUs this year – maybe more,” he says. Ongoing investment ahead of demand has seen the once sleepy port of Walvis Bay grow to be a bustling alternative to the more traditional ports in South Africa, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania. The biggest planned investment is an additional two modern container quays, which are planned to be built into the existing channel in the Walvis Bay lagoon. According to Mwenyo, the plans are far advanced and the new berths are expected to be operational by the first quarter of 2012. Most recent investments in the port include a new fleet of trucks and trailers to transport containers and a new mobile harbour gantry, bringing the total of mobile harbour cranes to five. A fleet of rubber-tyred gantries is also on the cards, and is expected to be operational before the new container berths. Funding support for the feasibility study is being provided by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica). Mwenyo says the current financial crisis is working in Walvis Bay’s favour as companies look at ways of reducing costs. “People are realising the benefit of Walvis Bay and the corridors, which offer a shorter route to the main SADC markets.” Walvis Bay is also well situated for cargo from Europe and the Americas. “We have a natural advantage through our location on the west coast,” he says. With the routes to Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo already well established, Zimbabwe and Botswana are starting to open up as well. Both Maersk and CMA-CGM are now calling regularly at Walvis Bay – for both transit and through cargo. According to the Namport annual report, 105 205 of the 170 586 TEUs handled in the 2007/2008 financial year were transhipped. A total of 35 669 was landed, and 29 892 shipped. Bulk volumes are also growing, with the port having handled its first 20 000 ton cement vessel, and “more to come”. Walvis Bay handled 4 392 736 metric tons of commodities in 2007/2008 – nearly double the 2 350 120 tons in 2002/2003. The main imports were petroleum (756 108 tons), general cargo (790 624 tons), sulphuric acid (38 839 tons), and vehicles (224 924 tons). The vehicles are mainly second hand trucks heading for the SADC countries. Salt is the biggest export (685 405 tons), followed by general cargo (151 230 tons) and fish products (140 211) and fluorspar (111 746 tons).