Transnet National Ports
Authority (TNPA) has
confirmed that a tender is
currently out for the container
terminal at the Port of
Ngqura.
Speaking on the sidelines
of the African Ports
Evolution forum in Cape
Town last week, Tau Morwe,
TNPA CEO, said they were
optimistic about private sector
involvement in the country’s
ports and therefore foresaw
no challenges in the tender
currently out for a terminal
operator at Ngqura.
“Thanks to the Ports Act,
all our terminals have gone
out to tender and we have also
completed a process where
performance agreements
have been put in place for
each terminal operator,”
he said. The latest tender
to go out is for the Ngqura
container terminal after the
government claimed Transnet
Port Terminals did not have
a licence and that it therefore
needed to be put out to tender.
Morwe said they would be
careful about
how they
dealt with
the situation
but were
confident that
the process
would result
in a terminal
operator that
would best
serve South
Africa’s newest
and fastest
growing port.
“Bringing private sector
involvement into the ports
is crucial for South Africa
and that is one of the major
changes that was brought
about by the Ports Act of
2005,” he said.
In the meantime Morwe
said a tender had recently been
awarded to an independent
bulk liquid storage provider
to operate the new liquid
bulk tank farm facility at the
port. This
facility will be
moved from
its current
location at the
Port of Port
Elizabeth.
Morwe said
encouraging
private
participation
in the ports
would continue
to be high on
the agenda of
TNPA over the next few years
as ports are upgraded and
improved. Some R80 billion
will be invested across the
country by TNPA as part of
the Transnet market demand
strategy.
INSERT & CAPTION
Bringing private
sector involvement
into the ports is
crucial for South
Africa.
– Tau Morwe
