Transnet today announced the names of companies appointed to undertake the construction work to deepen the berths at Durban Container Terminal (DCT): Pier 2’s North Quay. The upgrade will enable the port to accommodate newer generation container vessels by 2023.
The contract for the multi-billion-rand Main Marine Construction Works package has been awarded to CMI Emtateni Joint Venture.
The Level 2 BEE company comprises four entities - Italian construction company CMC Di Ravenna and its 51% black-owned South African company CMI Infrastructure, which is a 10-year-old unincorporated Joint Venture with PG Mavundla Engineering.
Also included in the partnership are Omame Emtateni Empowerment Group Consortium, which is a combination of five local, independent black-woman-owned companies that have been working as a collective for the last fifteen years, and Masinya Emtateni Empowerment Group Consortium which was also formed through a combination of five local black companies.
An independent Environmental Compliance Officer (ECO) package was awarded to GIBB to audit environmental compliance on the project.
Transnet chief capital officer Krishna Reddy said the R7-billion mega project would help to sustain the existing container operations at the Port of Durban, specifically DCT Berths 203 to 205.
CMI will be responsible for the reconstruction, deepening and lengthening of berths 203 to 205 to provide safe docking capacity. Currently Super Post Panamax vessels of 9200 TEUs and larger take up two berths on the North Quay, shrinking port capacity, while larger vessels can only enter the channel at high tide. This results in delays and vessel queues at outer anchorage.
The marine infrastructure work will be executed in three successive phases – commencing with work on berth 205, followed by berth 204 and ending with berth 203. “This staggered approach will ensure that the terminal is able to accommodate two vessels at any time between berths 203 to 205, even while one berth is decommissioned,” Reddy said.
A new quay wall will be constructed 50m seawards of the existing quay wall, along Berths 203 to 205, and will provide sufficient water depth to safely accommodate larger Post Panamax vessels. The existing quay wall will be deepened from -12.8m to -16.5m Chart Datum Port (CDP) and lengthened from 914m to approximately 1 210m which will allow for the simultaneous berthing of three 350m-long Post Panamax Vessels. These berths had been operating beyond their original water depth design specifications, he said.
Dredging will be carried out to deepen the turning basin and approach channel serving Berths 203 to 205 from -12.8m to -16.5m CDP.
Seven existing 80-ton ship-to-shore cranes at DCT: Pier 2 will be modified to suit the profile of the new quay wall structure and to serve berths 205 to 203.
An independent Environmental Monitoring Committee (EMC) Chair package has been awarded to Smith Ndlovu Summers Attorneys to oversee environmental compliance on the main marine construction works.
