STACKING AREAS are being enlarged at Port Elizabeth harbour and the container road/rail transfer area upgraded to meet increasing traffic volumes.
In addition we have acquired two extra container cranes from Durban which are being refurbished, doubling our complement in this respect from two to four, says Sidney Chait, PE's port engineer.
The new cranes are in operation while the existing two are being upgraded.
It's all part of the R15 million of the Portnet budget which PE is utilising.
When concrete pouring is completed the stacking areas will have 77 000 sq m of paved area allowing for an increase from 240 000 to 320 000 TEU per annum.
Two tracks with two lines each have been provided in the transfer area, allowing for the handling of 50 trucks as against 22 in the past.
While the transfer area operation is almost complete, the concrete paving is scheduled to be completed by May next year.
