Logistics giant Transnet studies Durban container expansion plan

MAJOR South African logistics firm Transnet has remained tight lipped on plans to substantially increase container capacity at Durban and elsewhere beyond 2014.

South Africa's Business Report says Transnet is reportedly investigating long-term options for expanding container handling that include excavating the southern side of Durban's Port of Bayhead, converting Salisbury Island into a container terminal, a dug-out port at the current Durban airport site as well as a full-scale container terminal at Richards Bay.

Transnet executive Moira Moses said the executive committee wanted more work, which includes understanding shipping lines' requirements and how containers are handled once they land.

Work is well underway to expand capacity to cater for increased demand during the next seven years. "We believe with the initiatives under way, there will be enough capacity to 2014," Ms Moses said.

The work includes upgrades to the Durban container terminal and the purchase of additional equipment. Durban's new container terminal's Pier One is partly opened, and when completed in December, it will handle 720,000 TEU a year.

At Richards Bay a container facility has been built, and the box terminal at the Port of Ngqura will be operating in 2009.

Upgrades to the Cape Town container terminal will increase capacity to 1.4 million TEU. But work now under way will initially increase capacity to 800,000 TEU from less than 700,000 TEU, the report said.