Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is intent on growing operations in the Western Cape, an integral part of the complementary port system it has in the country.According to TPT managing executive, Andiswa Dlanga, increased volumes are expected for both the ports of Saldanha and Cape Town, making it imperative to create capacity ahead of the demand.Speaking during a recent online conference Dlanga said the “world-class operation” at Saldanha was one TPT was particularly proud of. Home to the biggest iron ore export facility in Africa, volumes handled at the port had seen ongoing growth over the years and the terminal currently had a 60 million tons per annum (mtpa) capacity.“An application for a license that will allow us to up the iron ore terminal capacity to 76 mtpa is already at an advanced stage,” she said. “A project for a third tippler is a lso under way.”Dlanga said the Saldanha iron ore terminal was handling the longest trains in the world, something the organisation was very proud of. “We have a current loading rate of more than 8 000 tons per hour. Plans are also in place to expand the Saldanha Multipurpose Terminal where we want to see manganese exports increased to at least 8 mtpa.”In Cape Town, Dlanga said TPT had committed to growing its operations at the container terminal (CTCT) to a capacity of 1.4 million TEU from the current 1 million.“We have been operating three berths since July last year which has resulted in volume increases as well as a reduction in the turnaround time of vessels and vessel changeovers. “We have also introduced a truck booking system and two sets of shore tensioners have been installed to mitigate vessel ranging. The terminal now operates nine ship-to-shore cranes and we have increased reefer capacity to 3 200 plug points.”The Port of Cape Town has, however, been in the headlines in recent weeks. Plagued by ongoing truck congestion along with weather-related challenges, terminal productivity has been under pressure.Earlier this month port users said trucks were queueing between 11 and 26 hours to pick up and drop off containers. Other complaints included that no reefer plugs were available. Due to the congestion, some fruit exporters had been forced to redirect their cargo to Port Elizabeth.Dlanga agreed that weather remained a major challenge for the terminal and that efforts to optimize operational plans for improved efficiency were ongoing. “We have extended landside activities to a 24-hour cycle while we continue to work closely with staff and customers to recover quicker after weather incidents and keep the port as f luid as possible.”Speaking about the multipurpose terminal in Cape Town, she said some upgrades had been made including improvements of equipment such as the introduction of four straddles and three mobile harbour cranes to deliver more reliability.Going forward TPT wanted to increase landside capacity at the terminal for the handling of more containers as part of its overall expansion strategy.
