Concerns raised over Durban berth deepening timelines

Despite a multi-million

rand modernisation process,

Maydon Wharf (MW) in the

Port of Durban will, for years

to come, remain too shallow for

the bigger ships for which it has

been designed.

Six of the 15 MW berths

– all together comprising

the largest breakbulk and

dry-bulk handling precinct

in the harbour – are having

R1.6 billion spent on them for

reconstruction and deepening.

Transnet National Ports

Authority (TNPA) told FTW:

“Berths 1-2 and 13-14 are

currently under construction

following the reconstruction of

berth 12, which was completed

in November 2012. Berths

3-4 are due to be under

construction early this year.”

But, for some considerable

time, the larger ships able to

use them will have to sail in

only part-loaded. According

to TNPA, the final charted

depth (CD) of the berths will be

14.5m, allowing a maximum

permissible draught of 13m.

But, it added, the MW entrance

channel and berths will still

need to be deepened after the

berth upgrades are complete

to enable these vessels to sail in

fully laden.

And the latest permissible

drafts released by the port

authority on February 3 show

just how little depth is currently

available. MW berths 3 to 7 and

9 are only 9.3m; berths 8, 11

and 12 are 10m; and berth 10 a

miserly 8.5m.

And none of the lines using

MW are happy about the fact

that their larger vessels – up

to 55 000 tonnes deadweight

(DWT) – now calling “are

mostly going to be able to sail

only half-laden due to the

current draught and width

restrictions”, admitted TNPA.

This is a loss of tonnage

greater than the full capacity

of the 20 000-DWT ships that

used to call.

Peter Besnard, CEO of

the SA Association of Ships

Operators and Agents (Saasoa),

told FTW that the deepening

was no quick fix, and would

take an enormous amount of

time to be completed.

And FTW has been told by

other sources that part of this

wait is caused by the same delay

factor that has held up the final

upgrade and deepening of the

Durban Container Terminal

(DCT) berths 203-205. This

was for the project to pass

the environmental impact

assessment (EIA). And the

Green bodies in the city were

up in arms about the fact that

this upgrading project would

eat up another 50m of the

historic harbour sandbank – a

vital breeding ground for lots

of marine animals.

But, considerably later,

this has now been passed,

according to TNPA. The next

step is to extend the DCT pier’s

berths 203-205 by 50m. And

the deepening can only happen

after that is all complete.

The same EIA will come up

for the MW berth and entrance

channel deepening. And FTW

has been told that this has not

yet been started – and that the

Greens are waiting.

And the cost to importers

and exporters? We were told by

one shipper: “You can bet your

bottom dollar that the lines

won’t be absorbing the cost of

ships sailing half empty. They

will, by one means or another,

pass it on to us, the cargo

owners – and eventually to the

end consumers.”

To try to get some idea of the

datelines, FTW asked TNPA:

“What is the timing schedule for

this berth and entrance channel

deepening? In other words,

when are the various dredging

projects due to be finished,

and in what order?” However,

nothing but the sounds of

silence was received before we

were due to go to print.