Transnet Ready to Start DCT Berth Deepening Project

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has moved closer to the berth deepening project at Durban Container Terminal (DCT) with the award of the Main Marine Construction Works package deal.

The company said that the contract has been awarded to CMI Emtateni Joint Venture, which boasts a Level 2 BEE status and is made up largely of four entities, including CMC Di Ravenna, CMI Infrastructure, Omame Emtateni Empowerment Group Consortium and Masinya Emtateni Empowerment Group Consortium.

Transnet Chief Capital Officer, Krishna Reddy, said

The ZAR 7 billion (USD 462.2 million) project at the Port of Durban’s North Quay would help accommodate newer generation container vessels by 2023 and help sustain the existing container operations at the port, specifically DCT Berths 203 to 205.

“In the Port of Durban which handles approximately 65% of the total containerised cargo of South Africa, we have a critical need to provide modern, safe, deeper and longer container berths to accommodate the ever-increasing size of container vessels we are now servicing,”  Krishna Reddy, Transnet Chief Capital Officer, said.

The Main Marine Construction Works to be carried out include the reconstruction, deepening and lengthening of berths 203 to 205 to provide safe docking capacity. Currently Super Post Panamax vessels 9,200 TEU 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 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.

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.