Transnet Capital Projects (TCP) – which is overseeing Transnet National Ports Authority’s project to reconstruct the quay walls and deepen berths at Maydon Wharf – recently achieved a safety milestone of 1,000,000 man hours without a lost time injury (LTI).
The R1.6 billion project forms an integral part of Transnet’s Market Demand Strategy which aims to enable the effective, efficient and economic functioning of an integrated port system to promote economic growth.
It involves the reconstruction and deepening of six out of the 15 berths in the port. Once completed the berths will have depth of 14.5 m enabling them to handle vessels with draughts up to 13 m, however the Maydon Wharf entrance channel will still need to be deepened thereafter to enable these vessels to sail in fully laden.
Maydon Wharf is the largest break bulk and dry bulk handling precinct in the Port of Durban covering 120 ha of port land.
The quay walls in the precinct were originally designed to handle vessels of approximately 20,000 DWT versus the 55,000 DWT vessels now calling. Bigger vessels call mainly half laden due to the current draught and width restrictions.
Berths 1-2 and 13-14 are currently under construction, following the reconstruction of berth 12, which was completed in November 2012. Berths 3-4 will be under construction early in 2016.
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