What started off as a small port today stands as one of the most promising ports in the country, with great potential to become one of the greatest in Africa - if not the world.
The Port of Ngqura, also known as Coega Harbour, is the only deepwater port on the east coast of South Africa, about 20km north-east of Gqeberha in Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
Situated at the mouth of the Coega River, it is the newest and the deepest container port in South Africa. It is a world-class deepwater tranship hub offering an integrated, efficient and competitive port.
Plans for revamp
During a recent media tour at the port, managing executive: Eastern Cape Terminals, Wandisa Vazi, said they have learnt a lot in the process of turning the port around.
“We have worked very hard to attract business and clients, and we are now in the process of revamping the port,” Vazi said.
The process of procuring materials for the port is underway. In the last two years, Vazi said they have been working towards improving efficiency. “It has been an interesting last two years. We are now number three behind Durban.”
Vazi explained that the revamping process could take about 15 years and that this would include the refurbishing of machines, some of which are about 64 years old.
The port is sheltered by two breakwaters. The western breakwater is 1.3km long, while the main eastern breakwater is the longest in South Africa at 2.7km. The main function of the port is to service industrial bulk commodity requirements, both regionally and nationally, and to relieve congestion at other ports.
Uniqueness
The Port of Ngqura is unique for two reasons. Firstly, it is the only port in South Africa with environmental authorisation for its construction and operation. The paleochannel that runs through the port and Jahleel Island, situated 1km offshore, both drastically influenced the layout of the port. The paleochannel allows the convenience of a deepwater port without needing to dredge large amounts of consolidated material. The port also had to be built at least 500m away from Jahleel Island in order to protect the marine and birdlife.
Secondly, the Port of Ngqura is the first in the world to have a fixed jet pump sand bypass. This recreates the natural longshore drift of sand along the coast, and pumps the sand from the west to the east.
Construction of manganese loading facility
Transnet National Ports Authority will be constructing a manganese loading facility that will make the Port of Ngqura a leading exporter of manganese ore across the globe. The relocation of the current manganese facility from the Port of Port Elizabeth to Ngqura will increase the capacity from 5.5 to 16 million tonnes a year.
The Ngqura Container Terminal (NCT) has been designed as a state-of-the-art transhipment hub, servicing traffic from the Far East, South America, East and West African markets.
Berthing of MSC Nicola Mastro
Ngqura recently berthed one of the largest container vessels in the world, MSC Nicola Mastro, on her maiden voyage.
This achievement solidifies TNPA's status as a significant player in the global maritime industry.
The successful berthing of MSC Nicola Mastro was made possible by a four-tug operation. These tugboats have a bollard-pull of 60 to 70 tonnes, fully capable to handle larger vessels efficiently.
It is a world-class deepwater tranship hub offering an integrated, efficient and competitive port and lies 20km northeast of Port Elizabeth and is situated at the mouth of Coega River in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.
The terminal boasts a 16-metre draft, with four berths and eight ship-to-shore (STS) cranes, 1,652 reefer points and transhipment capacity of 1.5m Teus.
