State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has received and operationalised four hydraulic tension mooring units at the ports of Cape Town and Ngqura.
This is the first batch of the 52 units procured to improve operational efficiencies at the country's ports by reducing shipping delays caused by inclement weather conditions.
A hydraulic tension mooring unit is a system that is placed on the quayside to ensure the safety of vessels alongside and to mitigate the severity of long-wave effects on vessels. The units help to stabilise vessels during strong winds, adverse weather conditions and high swells.
The units are also expected to minimise downtime and improve safety during operations, TNPA says.
The new mooring units increase TNPA’s capacity to prevent excessive surge motions of vessels. This brings the total number of units at the Port of Cape Town to six and at the Port of Ngqura to four.
“This marks the first of a series of major port equipment deliveries at our commercial seaports this year. We continue to make progress in fast-tracking the implementation of key investments in port infrastructure to improve operational efficiencies and provide quality service to the maritime industry,” says TNPA infrastructure GM Thecla Mneney.
Meanwhile, TNPA has also procured 52 shore tension units, with 16 units allocated to the Port of Cape Town, 14 to the Port of Durban, eight to the Port of Port Elizabeth, six to the Port of Ngqura, four to the Port of Saldanha Bay and four to the Port of Richards Bay.