Hub of the cityTransnet Port Terminals in South Africa is revolutionising every aspect of the Cape Town Container Terminal as part of an ambitious and extensive five-year upgrade programme.
Established in 2000, Transnet Port Terminals, part of freight logistics company Transnet, operates six container terminals around South Africa, including the three largest in the countryÔÇöDurban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. As AfricaÔÇÖs international import and export market grows, the need to increase the capacity of the terminals has become a priority and as such, Transnet Port Terminals is modernising and expanding its container ports over a five-year period.
The main focal point of this project will be the Cape Town Container Terminal. The main import and export hub for perishables and frozen products, Cape Town Container Terminal is of great importance not just to the South African economy but to the wider area too. The terminal receives agricultural produce from the Asian, American, European and Australian markets; these goods are then distributed not just to other towns and cities in South Africa but to neighbouring countries as well. With excellent road and rail infrastructure surrounding the port, clients can be assured that their produce will reach its destination on schedule, regardless of what method of onward transport they choose to use.
The growth of demand for imported produce within Africa, as well as increased demand for African foodstuffs internationally, has meant a boom in business for Transnet Port Terminals in Cape Town. However, this has brought with it its own challenges.
As it stands currently, the container terminal in Cape Town already has 2,250 reefer plug points and a capacity of 740,000 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) with six ship-to-shore cranes. As impressive as these figures are, the increased rate of activity here is starting to outstrip the terminalÔÇÖs ability to keep up with demand. Transnet Port Terminals has decided to address this issue as part of its five-year plan to modernise and expand its infrastructure by investing $602 million in the Cape Town terminal.
The companyÔÇÖs priorities are to improve capacity, improve customer service and optimise use of stack capacity. The development project, which began in 2008, will transform the container terminal both in terms of size and technical capabilities. The six stages of the project will see terminal capacity double to 1.4 million TEU and state-of-the-art infrastructure installed. These improvements will ensure that Cape Town Container Terminal will still offer the best in agricultural terminal services in Africa.
The main contractors on the terminalÔÇÖs revamp are WBHO and Civil & Coastal, acting as joint venture partners. The work will include adding new berths and dredging the entrance canal, container basin and existing berths to a depth of 15.5 metres. This part of the project will mean that the terminal will be able to accommodate larger ships in its main berths, thus increasing general capacity and productivity. These larger ships and additional berths will further stimulate the already thriving import and export business in the Western Cape and beyond. In addition, rather than cause disruption through building a new quay, the existing one is being refurbished, strengthened and extended to accommodate larger cranes to deal with increased activity.
While the dredging of the port area and work on the quay are the main focus of construction and modification of the site itself, there is also a great deal of investment being poured into new machinery. There will be a complete overhaul of the heavy lifting equipment that is currently installed at the container terminalÔÇöonce the renovations are completed in 2012, the Cape Town facility will accommodate eight state-of-the-art Leibherr large ship-to-shore cranes. These cranes will reduce cycle time due to high hoist and trolley speeds, as well as increasing the portÔÇÖs capability through their ability to lift up to 80 tonnes at a time.
Additionally, Transnet Port Terminals has been able to reduce maintenance costs by purchasing ultra modern cranes with a high reliability score (with mean-time-between-failure, or MTBF values, of less than 0.5 per cent per annum) that are also monitored by Leibherr to ensure any problems are detected and addressed immediately. Working in tandem with these cranes will be 32 new rubber-tyred gantries, further reducing berth time. In addition to all this, the new berths will be able to support super-post Panamax gantry cranes with twin lift capability.
Another development that is taking place on land is a project to increase stacking ability. Transnet Port Terminals began working on this area of the Cape Town terminalÔÇÖs capabilities in 2006, through the replacement of its 3 over 2 high-straddle carrier fleet with 4 over 3 high-straddle carriers. However, work continues in this area, with the reconfiguration of the terminalÔÇÖs onshore areas to ensure it can meet its commitment to optimised stacking ability by 2013.
In order to maintain the improvements in the port itself, Transnet Port Terminals has also invested in over 100 trawler trailers. These boats will ensure that the berths, entrance canal and container basin maintain their new 15.5 metre depth.
The enormous amount of work that is taking place at Cape Town container terminal, brought about by high level investment, is no small undertaking. By committing to this five-year plan, Transnet Port Terminals has ensured that its Cape Town terminal will host state-of-the-art facilities in order to better serve its customers.
With an increasing amount of intercontinental trade between Africa and the rest of the world, the terminal looks set to remain the most desirable in the country for the import and export markets in AfricaÔÇöboth now and long into the future.
