Private terminals dominate Portnet's vision of the future

PORTNET management has a vision which could see the organisation providing the bulk infrastructure and allowing business to operate the terminals says managing director Rob Childs.
Speaking in Port Elizabeth recently, Childs said privately operated terminals were already responsible for close on half the volume of cargo exported from South Africa. Portnet has a monopoly on container terminals and dominates the breakbulk area, but private terminals ship far more of the bulk commodities than the state does.
Turning to the preliminary management thinking for the future, he saw the state as the regulator drawing up the legislation governing the running and construction of ports.
A National Port Authority would be the facilitator to ensure that exporters and importers were provided with the kind of infrastructure they needed in the place where it was needed.
Private enterprise would operate the terminals.
Port services would be provided by a separate company.
The management proposal would see us move from a comprehensive port authority to four separate operations - regulator, port services company, a national port authority and privatised port commercial operations, he said.
Childs stressed that this thinking was subject to approval by national government. However, he believed that a precedent had already been set in the private operation of terminals.
Turning to future investment, he said that South Africa would need more port facilities in order to help the economy grow. This was one of the reasons why Portnet was supporting the Coega harbour and industrial zone development outside Port Elizabeth.
By Ed Richardson