Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA’s) ship repair facilities are operating at 100% capacity following the easing of the lockdown restrictions to Level 4.
Operations will be guided by the agents’ docking schedules in the respective ports, the ports authority said in a statement on May 12.
TNPA’s existing ship repair facilities are located at the ports of Durban, East London and Cape Town, where there are dry docks, and at Port Elizabeth and Mossel Bay, where there are slipways.
In a recent memo to stakeholders, acting chief harbour master Captain Sabelo Mdlalose said the two components of the facilities, being the dry docks and engineering workshops, would be accessible to agents subject to strict safety and precautionary measures as outlined in the new level 4 Covid-19 regulations.
TNPA, however, emphasises that all port users are expected to adhere to the standard Covid-19 screening processes, including temperature checks on arrival. Employers are also expected to conduct Covid-19 screening at their own sites.
For those who return to site, workplaces will have to operate in a manner that complies with the additional safety measures required, which includes wearing appropriate personal protective equipment − a face mask/screen and gloves, where applicable.
Those who return to site will also be required to be in possession of an essential services permit, together with their port access or ID card.
“The South African ship repair facilities are committed to providing services conforming to recognised best practices, regulatory rules and standards,” Mdlalose commented, urging port users to continue to practise the basics of good hygiene and physical distancing.