AFRICA will likely take a bigger slice of global container trade as Somali pirates drive ships around the Cape and away from the Suez Canal, said South Africa's Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) sales chief Nosipho Damasane.
Speaking at the African Ports and Harbours Congress in Johannesburg, Ms Damasane said: "We are in discussions with a lot of shipping lines and companies in the East and in Europe to benefit from this."
But she warned that the opportunity could pass if ports did not help each other, reported South Africa's Creamer Media Engineering News. "We are running the risk of not being counted, when we probably have a bigger potential for growth than most other countries," she said.
Ms Damasane said that other African countries had started investing in port infrastructure. "There is a lot of talk about deep water ports in Africa, and I think we are looking at changing some of the trade routes, which offers an opportunity to grow volumes for the region," she said.
South Africa would spend ZAR2.8-billion (US$347 million) in port investment during 2009/10 financial year.
Among the projects are the Port of Ngqura outside Port Elizabeth, which was likely to be operational by October. Ms Damasane noted that the port had a berth draft of 16.5 metres suited to handle mega ships. The container terminal at the port of Ngqura would add some 800,000 TEU a year capacity to South Africa's current container capacity.
(Source: News and Data Online)
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