Progress is being made with the new bulk facility at the Port of Ngqura, with phase two of the project expected to start on November 1.
This is according to the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), which recently updated stakeholders on the momentum gained in establishing the Port of Ngqura as the new petroleum trading hub for Southern Africa.
In a statement published last week, the port authority said the completion of phase one included the development of infrastructure to service the new Oil Tanking Grindrod Calulo Holdings (OTGC) tank farm site.
This included the construction of a new access road from the N2 to where the tank farm will be built as well as the completed design of the new port entrance plaza.
The plaza and the new access road include the service pipeline that will form the necessary link between the tank farm and the port.
OTGC is a majority South African-owned level 1 B-BBEE joint venture with expertise in international terminal operations. The port authority said phase two would focus on the land-side development and develop the link between the tank farm and the berth.
Port of Port Elizabeth port manager Rajesh Dana said the relocation of the manganese ore terminal from the city to
The port authority is expected to invest R1.2bn for common user infrastructure
Ngqura was a separate project with separate operators, stakeholders and timelines.
“The Port of PE manganese ore terminal will be decommissioned and remediated once the manganese ore terminal in the Port of Ngqura is commissioned,” Dana said.
Meanwhile, Dana said Port Elizabeth waterfront development plans were at an advanced stage.
“We envisage that the waterfront development will be undertaken in a phased manner, starting small and then expanding in line with market demand.
“Phase one of the waterfront development will take place on current vacant land and we therefore do not believe that the manganese ore or liquid bulk operations will impede the waterfront development,” Dana said.
He said that according to the Port of PE’s Port Development Plan (Medium Term – 2046) the liquid bulk terminal and manganese ore terminal precincts were earmarked for maritime, commercial and automotive zones respectively.
According to the port authority, the Port of Ngqura is a strategic location for the tank farm facility as it can accommodate vessels up to 100,000 deadweight tonnage.
“[This] facility has the potential to establish itself as a global transshipment and trading hub for West and East Africa,” the TNPA statement said.
“It will reduce reliance on the Port of Durban for transshipments to coastal ports.”
The port authority is expected to invest R1.2bn for common user infrastructure for future terminal operators and port users at the port’s multipurpose terminal.
“The estimated investment by OTGC for phase one of the Port of Ngqura liquid bulk facility will be R800m.”
Following the commissioning of the new tank farm, the port authority said the tank farm operators at the Port of Port Elizabeth would “wind down operations over a period of four months”.
Dana said the cut-over strategy would be to ensure the seamless commissioning of the Port of Ngqura liquid bulk terminal while running down existing stock and operations at the Port of PE liquid bulk terminal (PE tank farm).
“During this period it is envisaged that no liquid bulk vessels will call at the Port of PE. The cut-over strategy period will be four months. After the cut-over strategy, the PE tank farm will be decommissioned and remediated.”
TNPA said the decommissioning and remediation plan would need to be approved by the department of environmental affairs before the fourmonth winding-down period.
Following a development period of 24 months, the port authority said it looked forward to having an operational terminal at the Port of Ngqura by November 1 2020.
The Port of Ngqura, which was officially opened in 2011, surpassed the Port of Port Elizabeth as the third-busiest container port in the country.