Two new quays planned SALDANHA BAY is undergoing a R250 million upgrade at present to enable the port facility to meet the increased steel export volumes from the Saldanha Steel Project (SSP) which is scheduled to come on line in January 1998.
The Portnet expansion project involves the construction of a 620m extension to the general cargo quay in the harbour, the deepening of the navigation channel and turning basin and the dredging of the trench for two new quays.
At present the existing quay is not fully utilised, but its capacity will come into play with SSP and the Namakwa Sands upgrade, says Portnet Project Engineer David Brown.
The two new quays are being built for the import of pellets for the SSP and the export of steel products from the mill. Pellets are to be used to speed up the melting process of iron ore which will be exported.
Commodities at present handled in the port include iron ore from Sishen and Postmasburg, lead and copper concentrates from Black Mountain and sand products, such as rutile and chloride slags, from Namakwa Sands in Namaqualand.
The dredging contract is being extended to include the widening of the area adjacent to the oil and ore quays on the Saldanha side.
This will allow 150 000 dead weight ton (DWT) ore carriers to pass in safety the very large crude carriers berthed at the oil quay, says Brown.
Plans are afoot to build a second public access road to the east of the existing port entrance.
The Saldanha steel mill now under construction and due for completion in January 1998 is planned to produce 1,25 million tons of hot rolled steel coil a year, beneficiating an additional two million tons of iron ore in addition to the 16 million tons of iron ore exported annually by Iscor through Saldanha Bay.
