Name and Location
Durban port upgrade and expansion project, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

Client
The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) and Transnet Port Terminals (TPT), divisions of freight logistics company Transnet.

Project Description
The Durban Container Terminal (DCT) is the biggest and busiest in the southern hemisphere and currently handles 64% of the country’s seaborne container traffic.

Transnet is implementing an ambitious expansion project at the Durban port and its container terminals, comprising several individual work packages, aimed at increasing the DCT’s container-handling capacity.

The main projects include the expansion of the DCT Pier 1, which will increase the capacity of the terminal from 700 000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) to 820 000 TEUs by 2013 and eventually to 1.2-million TEUs by 2016/17.

In addition, the North quay at DCT Pier 2 will be extended to increase the capacity from 2.1-million TEUs in 2011/12 to 2.5-million TEUs by 2013/14 and to 3.3-million TEUs by 2017/18.

Container capacity is also being created at other terminals, such as the Durban Ro-Ro and Maydon Wharf terminals, through the acquisition of new equipment, including mobile cranes and various infrastructure upgrades.

Transnet is further proposing the phased development of a new dig-out port on the old Durban International Airport (DIA) site.

Value
The project forms part of an initial five-year R110.5-billion capital expenditure programme until 2015/16 and the group’s larger R307-billion seven-year Market Demand Strategy (MDS) until 2018/19.

However, funding for the new port at the DIA is not included in the strategy.

Transnet has indicated that it is in the final stages of appointing a transaction adviser and is considering various funding options and models for private-sector participation in the project.

Duration
Ongoing.

Latest Developments
Transnet is moving ahead with the second phase of its plan to reconstruct and deepen berths at Maydon Wharf, at the Port of Durban.

Maydon Wharf, which is the largest break-bulk and dry-bulk handling precinct in the Transnet ports system, has been developed in phases since the early twentieth century. It covers 120 ha and includes 15 berths that can collectively handle more than seven-million tons a year of cargo.

In July 2011, the reconstruction of berth 12 was initiated as part of Phase 1 and the project was completed in November 2012.

Tenders have now been invited for Phase 2, which will involve the reconstruction and deepening of berths one to four and berths 13 and 14.

Transnet hopes the upgrade will facilitate shorter berthing times and enable the historical multipurpose terminals to accommodate larger vessels.

Tenders opened on September 2 and will close on October 28, with construction expected to start in April 2014 and to continue for 30 months.

No value has been assigned to the project, which forms part of a larger R307-billion investment plan to upgrade and expand Transnet’s railways, ports and pipelines between 2013 and 2019.

The project, which arose from a study indicating that the quay walls needed to be replaced to ensure safe and continued operations, will include the reconstruction and deepening of six steel sheet piled quay walls.

The new quay cope line will be extended by about two metres into the bay and will enable Maydon Wharf to handle larger cargo vessels, which cannot currently be accommodated if fully laden.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Protekon Consulting & Construction; CPS; IMPSA-Jikelele joint venture (JV); Kalmar African National Engineering, or ANE, JV; Hydroflow and Liebherr Cranes (Germany); Grinaker-LTA, Interbeton and Bafokeng Bateman Services (Bafokeng Civil Works and Bateman Materials Handling) JV; DSE and Dorbyl (subcontractors steelwork fabrication); La Spezia Container Terminal, Italy (three Liebherr cranes); Kalmar (straddle carriers); DSE (manufacture of structural components and the erection and installation of mechanical and electrical work); Protekon (planning and designing the infrastructure for the installation of the Liebherr cranes at the south terminal); Protekon Construction (two new berths for Island View terminal); Dura Piling (piling contract – Island View); Basil Read (main contractor – Pier 1, civil and paving works – DCT); Chryso South Africa (concrete products – hard standing area, Pier 1); Lafarge Readymix (design and supply of concrete – hard standing area, Pier 1); Natal Portland Cement, or NPC (cement – Pier 1); Kalmar Industries (30 straddle carriers); TBA (review, analysis and simulation of DCT’s container-handling operations); Sarens Group (crawler crane); the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (loan finance); Shanghai Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (rail-mounted gantry cranes); Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co, or  ZPMC (design, manufacture, delivery and commissioning of cranes); Dredging International and Group Five (port-widening project); C3 Shared Services (codesign of security solution at Pier 1); Mott MacDonald in JV with Hatch and Goba (widening of Durban harbour entrance and construction of Pier 1 container terminal); Blue IQ (financial coordinator for proposed container terminal at the old DIA site); and Liebherr (design, fabrication, delivery, erection, testing and commissioning of the cranes).

On Budget and on Time?
The project is on schedule and within budget.

Contact Details for Project Information
ANE Durban head office, tel +27 31 579 3301, fax +27 31 579 3323 or email aned@mweb.co.za.
Basil Read, tel +27 11 418 6375 or fax +27 11 418 6334.
Bateman, tel +27 11 899 9111 or email pgm@batemanbv.com.
Chryso South Africa, tel +27 11 395 9700 or fax +27 11 397 6644.
Dorbyl, tel +27 41 408 6009, fax +27 41 408 6035 or email dorbyl@guestroauto.com.
Dredging International, tel +32 3 250 52 11, fax +32 3 250 56 50 or email dredging@dredging.com.
DSE, tel +27 11 871 4111 or fax +27 11 871 4141.
Grinaker-LTA, tel +27 11 578 6000, fax +27 11 578 6161 or email enquiry@grinaker-lta.co.za.
Group Five, tel +27 11 806 0111, fax +27 11 803 5520 or email info@g5.co.za.
Kalmar Industries, tel +27 31 327 1800 or fax +27 31 327 1811.
Lafarge Readymix, tel +27 31 275 7400.
NPC, tel +27 31 450 4411 or fax +27 31 451 9010.
Sarens Group, Hendrik Sarens, tel +32 52 319 397 or email hendrik.sarens@sarens.com.
Transnet Port terminals, tel + 27 31 308 8000 OR FAX +27 31 308 8084.
ZPMC, tel + 86 21 58396666, fax +86 21 58399555 or email mail@zpmc.com.