INLSA
A construction crew working on upgrading a quay wall in the Port of Durban as part of a number of infrastructure projects over the next seven years totalling R21.3 billion. Picture: Jacques Naude
Durban’s port capacity is set to almost double to cater for 5 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers in the next seven years with R21.3 billion invested in infrastructure upgrades and maintenance.
That’s the word from Hamilton Nxumalo, head of port infrastructure at the Transnet National Port Authority
Speaking in Durban yesterday, he said this was part of the R300bn that President Jacob Zuma announced the government would be investing in infrastructure development through Transnet alone over the next seven years.
“Our current spending plans for projects for the Port of Durban stand at R21.3bn over the next seven years.” said Nxumalo.
Durban port manager Ricky Bhikraj said Transnet had up to 45 projects, big and small, under way in the port at any one time. He said the billions of rand being invested in Durban’s port were aimed at not only increasing capacity, but also its competitiveness.
Asked what effect the upgrades would have on capacity, Nxumalo said that if all current and proposed projects were completed, container capacity would increase from about 2.7 million TEUs annually to more than 5 million TEUs.
He said the R21.3bn figure was based on only the port authority’s investment plans for Durban, and did not include investments earmarked by its sister company and port operator, Transnet Port Terminals. The authority was also in discussions with the SA Navy to buy part of Salisbury Island for further expansion. He said the dig-out port plan for the old Durban International Airport site was a separate project.
Meanwhile, he said that current projects in the port set to be complete in the next few years, which would see Durban handle bigger ships, included: rehabilitation and deepening of Berth 2 and Berth 5 at Island View, totalling R626m; upgrading Bayhead Road to incorporate a new truck staging area to the tune of R256m; replacing steel pile berths at Maydon Wharf at a cost of R1.6bn; and re-engineering the Durban Container Terminal at a cost of R692m.
Nxumalo said a massive new project in the pipeline was extending the authority’s berth deepening programme at the port to include the North Quay.
“We want to deepen the North Quay from 12.8m to 16.5m, and also lengthen it from 915m to 1 190m to accommodate larger vessels that can now come into Durban, thanks to the harbour widening and deepening project,” he said.
Nxumalo said the Bayhead Road upgrade would be complete by July.
