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Oil and gas<br />
A maritime cluster will help to create focus in the energy sector.<br />
The Mossgas facility at Mossel Bay could be revived if feedstock in the form of gas is delivered from new discoveries. Credit: PASA<br />
The <strong>Western</strong> <strong>Cape</strong> Maritime Cluster has been established by<br />
private companies and is supported by the government<br />
of the Netherlands and the <strong>Western</strong> <strong>Cape</strong> Department of<br />
Economic Development and Tourism.<br />
The group is planning to strengthen the industry by focussing on<br />
an integrated approach. Regional steering committees for Saldanha<br />
Bay on the west coast and Mossel Bay on the east coast have been<br />
set up. There are nine focus areas for the cluster, including energy<br />
(offshore), logistics and shipping, marine services and metal and<br />
machine-working (shipbuilding, marine equipment).<br />
The Saldanha Bay Industrial Development Zone Licensing<br />
Company (SBIDZ-LC) has announced the start of phase one of the<br />
development of the main infrastructure of the IDZ. Located within<br />
the southern hemisphere’s deepest and biggest natural port, the<br />
company will spend R3.5-billion on developing 356ha of space to<br />
enable the port to offer a wider variety of services. A floating dock,<br />
ship-lift facilities and marine service jetties will be among the new<br />
services created.<br />
Ultimately, the seven-part development plan will see the SBIDZ<br />
become a South African Freeport, a Special Economic Zone and<br />
customs-controlled area within a port, dedicated to the oil, gas and<br />
marine sector. The three main exploration and production customer<br />
groups being targeted are:<br />
Drilling companies: Office space, warehousing, logistical facilities and<br />
support services.<br />
Petroleum companies: Office and warehousing space for an<br />
operational base close to active fields.<br />
Oilfield service companies: 24-hour operational nodes along the<br />
coast, in the form of office spaces and warehousing bases. In sites<br />
such as Offshore Supply Bases [OSSBs] and/or quaysides for supply<br />
and re-fuelling purpose.<br />
SECTOR INSIGHT<br />
R3.5-billion is to be spent on the<br />
first phase of the Saldanha Bay<br />
Industrial Development Zone.<br />
The SBIDZ-LC has established<br />
the Saldanha Bay Innovation<br />
Campus which aims to promote<br />
collaboration between academic<br />
institutions, industry, government<br />
and the local community specific<br />
to marine and energy research,<br />
development and innovation.<br />
It also intends supporting<br />
entrepreneurs and new ventures<br />
through incubation and<br />
acceleration programmes.<br />
In 2019 Total and its<br />
partners created a stir with<br />
the announcement that gas<br />
condensate had been found at<br />
a site called Brulpadda off the<br />
coast of Mossel Bay. In 2020,<br />
the nearby Luiperd prospect in<br />
Block 11B/12B delivered more<br />
exciting news.<br />
The block, in the Outeniqua<br />
Basin 175km off the southern<br />
coast, covers an area of about<br />
19 000km². The exploration<br />
WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS <strong>2022</strong><br />
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