East London port
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) is looking to appoint a panel of qualified service providers as terminal operators to step in and assist in closing “operational gaps” at its eight commercial seaports where terminal operator contracts have been suspended or terminated.
The panel will service eight terminals, including Durban, Cape Town, Richards Bay, Ngqura, Saldanha Bay, Port Elizabeth, East London and Mossel Bay, the State-owned ports authority says in a request for proposal document.
The panel will serve as “operators of last resort” to bridge the gap in case of termination of an existing terminal operator’s licence or an end of contract.
The service providers should enable efficient terminal operations at the ports and mitigate the disruption of cargo-handling operations during the appointment of new terminal operators through concession processes, TNPA states.
The scope of the required panel includes the import/export, transit storage, handling and distribution of cargo on and off the vessel with appropriate terminal equipment, as well as the distribution of cargo to inland customers through rail or road.
TNPA commercial services GM Anthony Ngcezula says this interim service provider approach is part of the entity’s strategy of fulfilling its role as port landlord and increasing competitiveness of the port system, while ensuring fewer cargo losses and more sustainable freight logistic solutions for customers.
South Africa’s ports are among the least efficient in the world and compare unfavourably to almost all ports on the African continent.