Walvis volumes rise 23%

15 Dec 2000 - By Staff reporter

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Leonard Neill

THE PORT of Walvis Bay has shown an increase of 23% in cargo volumes handled during the past year, while vessel visits to the port of Luderitz increased by 50% during the same period.
These figures were announced by Namport's chief executive officer Wessie Wessels in his annual report which was presented last week. The completion of both the container terminal and the dredging programme in Walvis Bay were the major contributors to speeding up cargo movements, he said.
The specific areas of major cargo growth were petroleum and sulphuric acid imports.
We now look forward to significant exports of copper through the port of Walvis Bay, with the export of Zambian copper remaining a priority business objective which will be aggressively pursued, he said.
Referring to activities at Luderitz, he said the future business development for this port augurs well, with the now confirmed Skorpion zinc mining project expected to make a major economic contribution.
Future developments anticipated include the development in time of the Kudu gas field, the Haib copper project and the potential of imports and exports for the North West Cape region of South Africa.
The chairman of the Namport Board, Dirk Conradie, drew attention in the report to the need for future large scale development within Namibia itself, and the marketing of Walvis Bay port elsewhere in southern Africa.
Our challenge now remains to develop business and economic opportunities for Namibia and the region through our port infrastructure, he said.
To this end, the Walvis Bay Corridor Group is an important catalyst. A major achievement for Namport has been recognition in the recently published Africa Competitiveness Report for its port efficiency and low port costs, attaining the number 1 ranking in respect of these attributes. Bearing in mind that this independent research covered the major portion of the African continent, this is indeed a singular honour.