Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) last week celebrated a significant milestone, when the Port of Durban’s Maydon Wharf precinct serviced Bright Sky, the first vessel to use the common-user Berth 14 after its reconstruction.

Forming part of a six-berth reconstruction project at the port, both berths 13 and 14 are now fully operational, deeper and safer for bigger ships calling at the port.

Transnet Group Capital – which is executing this major project on behalf of TNPA – completed work on both berths within the project’s timeframe.

“The handing over of these two berths marks a great milestone for one of the oldest ports in the country. It talks to safety improvements and revamping of infrastructure, which will further enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of our ports,” said Port of Durban manager Moshe Motlohi.

The R1.5-billion project to rebuild and deepen six berths at Maydon Wharf – berths 1 to 4 and berths 13 and 14 – was awarded to the Stefanutti Stocks Axsys joint venture in 2014.

It forms an integral part of Transnet’s Market Demand Strategy, which includes the aim of enabling efficient and economic function of an integrated port system to promote economic growth.

Once completed, the berths will have a draught of 14.5 m, enabling them to handle vessels with draughts up to 13 m, making these berths the deepest in the Port of Durban. However, the Maydon Wharf access channel will still need to be deepened to enable deeper-draught vessel to sail in fully laden.

Built more than 90 years ago, the Maydon Wharf precinct is one of the oldest cargo terminals and is the largest breakbulk and dry bulk handling precinct in the Port of Durban, covering 120 ha of port land.

The precinct’s youngest berth is about 42 years old, while its oldest berth is 92 years old.

The quay walls in the precinct were originally designed to handle vessels of about 20 000 deadweight tonnage versus the 55 000 deadweight tonnage now calling at the port.

Port of Durban engineer Malefetsane Setaka pointed out that the quay walls of the old berths had reached the end of their lifespan and were becoming unsafe for vessels. “This project has given new life and a safe environment for larger ships to berth.”

The project scope involved demolition of paving, rail track work and services, construction of new steel sheet piled quay walls, demolition of existing piled crane beams, extraction of timber, concrete piles and a limited number of steel sheet piles and removal of the existing quay walls and capping beams.

Despite the reconstruction being considered a brownfield project, the team had a challenge in obtaining initial engineering drawings for the berths.

“One of the biggest challenges was to understand and retrieve the initial engineering recording of these berths. This meant that the team had to spend more time in designing and reconstruction of the quay walls,” added Setaka.

The newly built quay walls will now have a lifespan of about 50 years.

The completion of berths 13 and 14 comes a few months after the handover of berths 1 and 2 to port operations in July 2016. This brings the number of completed berths to four.

“Our customers are the key beneficiaries of this project. They will now operate in safer and much deeper berths. We are also pleased that the project timelines committed to were adhered to by the project team,” added Motlohi.

The completion of the four berths – 1, 2, 13 and 14 – according to schedule has generated positive feedback from TNPA customers.

The project created 127 jobs including general workers, semiskilled workers, safety officers, and storemen, as well as project managers. A skills development programme has resulted in the training of 206 people in lifting and rigging, construction, project management and safety.

Its supplier development programme was 7% above target and contributed a total value of R273-million of the overall cost of the project. About R116-million of this was spent on national and regional suppliers, which provided concrete, foam work, dredging and scouring services.

R83-million was spent on small business development with services ranging from travel, steel suppliers, reinforcing, electrical work and earthworks and plant hire.

The project to rebuild and repair all six berths at Maydon Wharf is expected to be completed by 2018.