Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA) Port of Port Elizabeth is pleased to announce that repairs to the Tanker Berth have been successfully completed ahead of schedule.
The Tanker Berth has been successfully recertified by a structural engineer and has been cleared for operations to resume. The berth has been closed since 18 February 2019 to enable repairs to be carried out on the corroded steel structures supporting the berth’s access walkway. Having worked around the clock, the contractor managed to ensure that the berth was reopened eight days ahead of the scheduled date of 25 March 2019.
The repair works were awarded to Ocean Engineering, a Port Elizabeth based, ship and marine infrastructure repair company. As the works had to be conducted above and below water, the contractor further made use of the services of CDC Commercial Diving. The work was technically challenging, and also affected by weather conditions and the tides.
Louis Botha of Ocean Engineering said, "We were constrained to complete the project in a very narrow window however, with thoughtful planning as well as creative collaboration with Raymond Taylor of CDC Commercial Diving, we were able to complete the project early.”
Port Manager of the Port of PE, Rajesh Dana, said, “TNPA is very pleased that the contractor was able to complete ahead of schedule, despite some delays experienced due to weather conditions.”
“The collaborative effort in which this project was executed is highly commendable. TNPA would like to thank the TNPA engineering team, the contractor, the oil companies and the South African Petroleum Industry Association for ensuring that safety of operations at the Port of PE was prioritised in allowing the project to be implemented as smoothly as it was. This cooperation ensured that the promise made to the public of uninterrupted fuel supply to Nelson Mandela Bay during the shutdown was kept.”