Bay port records up in cargo stats
WITH the cruise season under way, two passenger vessels called at the Port of Richards Bay last month.
This is according to the latest statistics released by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) recording activity in the country's sea ports.
Richards Bay is expecting a total of 25 passenger liners this season which ends in April.
Last month, the local port recorded a total of 119 vessel arrivals, 19 of which were tankers transporting chemicals, oil and liquefied petroleum gas.
Overall, the Port of Richards Bay shifted just over 7.4 million tonnes of cargo –
267 265 liquid bulk and 39 423 breakbulk.
The total cargo tonnage moved in October is an increase from the 6.9 million moved the previous month.
It is also an increase compared to the 7.3 million tonnes handled in October last year and lower in comparison to the 8 million in the same month in 2020.
A total of 358 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers were also recorded in Richards Bay last month.
As part of KZN port expansion plans, Richards Bay is being positioned as a dry bulk hub port.
Some of the dry bulk terminals and mineral-handling facilities are earmarked for relocation from the Port of Durban’s Island View and Maydon Wharf precincts to the Port of Richards Bay.
The port is also being aligned to the
Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s strategic plan 2020-2025, which features a new berth for handling Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) as a cleaner alternative to coal for power generation.
Meanwhile, TNPA signed a 25-year deal with Vopak (SA) last week for the development, construction, operation and maintenance of a liquid bulk terminal at the Port of Richards Bay.
The entity said the development of the liquid bulk terminal will serve as a catalytic project for the port's master plans.
“The process demonstrates that we are one step closer to our commitment to reposition the Port of Richards Bay as a dry bulk and LNG hub through the KZN Logistics Hub Programme,” said Captain Dennis Mqadi, port manager at the Port of Richards Bay.