Transnet’s project to create deeper berths at Durban Container Terminal (DCT) will enable the Port of Durban to service larger container ships by 2023, according to a statement.
Site establishment, at Pier 2’s North Quay, is set to be completed by the end of October 2018, with construction beginning thereafter.
The ‘Main Marine Construction Works’ will be carried out by the CMI Emtateni Joint Venture, which is led by Italian construction company CMC Di Ravenna and its South African company CMI Infrastructure.
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Work to be carried out, as part of the project, includes the reconstruction, deepening and lengthening of berths 203 to 205 to provide safe docking capacity.
Currently, Super Post Panamax vessels of 9,200 TEU or more take up two berths on the North Quay, while larger vessels can only enter the channel at high tide. This results in both delays and vessel queues.
Krishna Reddy, Chief Capital Officer of Transnet, has said that the R7 billion mega project will “help to sustain the existing container operations at the Port of Durban”, which handles “approximately 65% of the total containerised cargo of South Africa.”
On 11 September industry stakeholders gathered in Durban for an update on our R7 billion Durban Container Terminal (DCT): Pier 2 Berth Deepening & Lengthening Project which will enable DCT’s North Quay to accommodate newer generation container vessels by 2023. pic.twitter.com/ZVCAGOGRE3
— Transnet NPA (@TransnetNPA) September 12, 2018
“We have a critical need to provide modern, safe, deeper and longer container berths to accommodate the ever increasing size of container vessels we are now servicing.
“This will ensure that our flagship Port of Durban and South Africa as a whole remain competitive within the industry, while catering safely for the needs of the marine sector.”
The marine infrastructure work will be executed in three successive phases – commencing with work on berth 205, followed by berth 204 and ending with berth 203.
This staggered approach will ensure that the terminal is able to accommodate two vessels at any time between berths 203 to 205, even while one berth is decommissioned.
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