The Transnet National Ports Authority announced this week that it was calling for proposals for the reconstruction, deepening and lengthening of berths at the Durban Container Terminal’s Pier 2 North Quay over a five-year period.
It said the expansion would allow for the effective berth length to safely accommodate the simultaneous berthing of three Super Post Panamax vessels of 350m in length and draft of 14.5m.
The move was welcomed by marine experts who said the plan was long overdue. However, they warned that it would not alleviate the current crisis where there is a backlog of containers waiting to enter the port.
Professor Mihalis Chasomeris, a port and maritime economist at the Graduate School of Business and Leadership at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, said the plan to deepen and lengthen berths 203 to 205 at the Durban Container Terminal had been around for some time.
“Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has had capital expenditure plans and the budget to address the challenges at the Durban Container Terminals.
“However, the problem has been the implementation of these plans.
The TNPA was annually underspending significantly on their capital expenditure budgets and this has contributed towards the container congestion crisis at Durban Container Terminal,” he said.
Chasomeris added that the TNPA, in addressing the current crisis, also needed to look at improving marine services.
“The number of tugs has decreased from what was originally 10 tugs on paper to about four or five tugs in operation. They could benefit from more tugs to berth more vessels, improve performance and reduce costs.
“The other issue is a lack of container handling equipment, where there has been a lack of purchasing new equipment and insufficient equipment maintenance to deal with the volume of containers at the port.”
Malcolm Hartwell, Norton Rose Fulbright director and master mariner, said the move was welcomed not only for the jobs it would create over the next five years, but also because it was a necessary step for Transnet and Durban to retain their places as the container gateway into Africa.
“It is unfortunate that this was not attended to several years ago when these giant container ships first appeared and other ports immediately upgraded their facilities, but it is definitely a step in the right direction,” he said.
Hartwell added that there was no doubt that this would assist in allowing more of the mega container ships to berth at Durban.
“Being able to berth three large container ships at once instead of two implies a 50% increase in throughout capabilities.
“Berthing the vessel, however, is only one very small step in the long supply chains stretching from factories in China to retail outlets in Gauteng. It is a necessary and welcome improvement in Durban’s container terminal facilities but will make absolutely no difference whatsoever if the rest of the supply chain facilities are not also improved.
“If three container ships can berth at once, you need enough gantries, straddle carriers and terminal space to allow them to discharge their cargo.
“The terminal is unable to handle the existing container traffic which means that allowing more big container ships to berth may exacerbate the problem,” Hartwell said.
The Mercury