Transnet building capacity for future

TRANSNET is building capacity at South Africa's harbours ahead of demand.

Addressing delegates at the African Maritime Domain Conference in Port Elizabeth yesterday, Transnet National Ports Authority chief executive Tau Morwe said investing in infrastructure capacity was essential to building capacity ahead of demand.

New terminals being built around the country include manganese and general cargo terminals at the Port of Ngqura and a liquid bulk terminal at the East London harbour. These and other infrastructure capacity-building projects form part of Transnet's seven-year market demand strategy.

Morwe said although there were still people who thought the Port of Ngqura wasa white elephant, it was the fastest- growing container terminal in the world.

About the Port of Port Elizabeth, he said deepening the berths was important "otherwise it will render the container terminal in PE non-functional".

There was a problem with handling the capacity in the Port of Durban but Transnet was setting up national operating centres across the country to focus on vessel turnaround times.

Transnet saw the country's harbours as a system instead of individual ports competing with each other.

The harbours should be both jointly and individually self-sustainable, Morwe said. – Cindy Preller