Cape Town’s R4.2 Billion port upgrade commences

Jan 16, 2008
Author: Lunga Ngcobo, Transnet Port Terminals

Cape Town, 16 January 2008 - Transnet Port Terminals - formerly South African Port Operations - commenced its R4.2 billion construction programme this week at the Port of Cape Town as part of a five-year plan to increase capacity at the country’s second largest container terminal. The port upgrade is an element of parent company Transnet Ltd’s R28 billion investment into port-related projects, from an overall R78 billion planned for investment over the next five years. The expansion is expected to relieve mounting pressure at the country’s ports by enabling the terminal to improve from the current 740,000 TEUs per annum to 1,4 million TEUs by the end of 2012.

Oscar Borchards, Business Unit Executive at the Cape Town Container Terminal, said that the main contractors had arrived on-site on Monday, 14 January 2008 to commence work. “Initial work will entail refurbishing the quay and deepening the berth and Ben Schoeman Basin to 15.5 metres,” he said, adding that this would be done in sections to mitigate a reduction in productivity at the terminal.

A consortium comprising Southern African construction firm WHBO and Cape Town-based Civil and Coastal would be responsible for deepening the berth, while Danish subcontractor, Rohde Nielsen, would complete the subsequent dredging work required at the harbour to allow for bigger vessels to pass through.

Borchards explained that other construction activities planned for 2008 include the building of a crane erection site to assist in the assembly of the first two new Liebherr ship-to-shore cranes and in the terminal’s conversion from straddle carriers to a rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) crane operation. Currently Pier One in Durban is the only South African terminal using the high-tech RTG cranes.

Before the end of the year, the terminal marshalling yard would also be converted to a staging area. In its entirety, the project includes the demolition of nonessential infrastructure and buildings, reconfiguration of the terminal to maximise stack capacity, a reefer-point expansion programme, as well as the procurement of new, specialised equipment including Liebherr ship-to-shore cranes and 32 RTGs. The quayline will also be extended by 10 metres to accommodate the new gantry cranes.

Borchards gave the assurance that productivity would be maintained during construction by diverting container vessels with their own ships’ gear to Cape Town’s Multipurpose Terminal. This would be supported by intense planning and engagement with all supply chain stakeholders.

Says Borchards, “We are confident that our current plan satisfies all requirements and will assist Transnet Port Terminals to promote efficiencies, reduce the cost of doing business and improve service delivery to customers, as dictated by Transnet’s four-point turnaround strategy.”