Dry dock on track

Dave Savides

TWO significant meetings this week will stimulate progress in Richards Bay’s proposed R2-billion ship repair facility.
National Ports Authority and Transnet heads meet on Thursday to finalise the Draft Lease Agreement with Imbani Construction, the consortium that has won the contract.
On Friday the NPA will present the final draft to the consortium for approval.
This will pave the way for detailed site and geotechnical studies and a full Environmental Impact Assessment with public participation.
A preliminary EIA and feasibility study have already been completed.
While no time frame has been agreed, both the NPA and Imbani Construction are confident that work at the Casuarina site could begin early next year.
‘We are pushing the dry dock issue and are keen to see rapid progress,’ said Richards Bay Port Manager Thami Ntshingila.
Imbani Consortium Director Ebenezer Moahloli confirmed that ‘all is still in place’ on the side of the consortium, including the prospective investors (DBSA and IDC).
He said the only offshore investment would be that of the Chinese shipbuilders and operators.
‘We have been involved with this project for about five years and it is all coming together now,’ said Moahloli.
When the project was announced in February 2004, an annual profit of R300m was projected from the refurbishment of some 40 ships a year.
A 260 metre-long dry dock, 760 metres of ship repair outfitting quay and a 300 metre quay for materials and work boats was planned.
Thousands of jobs in the construction phase and hundreds in the operating phase are envisaged.
Following on the heels of last week’s launch of the Tata Steel project, which will also bring huge benefits to the Port of Richards Bay, developments at the dry dock are a further confidence booster to a city destined for accelerated growth.