April 2011 - Malnor

Port of the Month
“Port of the whales: Walvis Bay” from page 8
The harbour today consists of two
sections: the commercial port, which is
managed by Namport, and the finishing
harbour. The commercial harbour offers
a range of terminal facilities that can
handle bulk, containerised, frozen, and
dry cargo. The turnaround time for
which is competitive, with handling
times for container vessels of around
12 to 15 hours. Depending on the
tonnage and shipment, the turnaround
time for bulk vessels averages between
24 and 48 hours, while for break-bulk
vessels averages between 18 and 20 hours.
The total length of the quay is about 1,5 kilometres
divided into eight berths, with berths 1 to 3 deepened to
12,8 M CD and berths 4 to 8 deepened to 10,6 M CD.
The container terminal has a current capacity of 392
groundslots for normal containers and 192 groundslots
for reefer containers. The port offers a thriving Syncrolift
ship repair facility. Deepwater anchorage is also available
inside the harbour and is protected by the natural bay
and by Namport.
The port carries a low risk in respect of insurance, with
no pilferage and ideal weather conditions. The port has
reportedly not experienced a single loss of cargo in the
last 15 years.
The corridors and infrastructure
Most of Namibia’s transport infrastructure, particularly
its road network (around 48 000 kilometres), is well
maintained. More than half a dozen major road upgrade
projects are under way or near completion, including that
of the 134 kilometre MR 110 Rundu to Elundu route
upgrade which began in 2007.
The country’s border posts with South Africa are efficient
and mostly without delays. Bribery and general misuse of
authority though still plagues the borders of its northern
neighbours (not of Namibia). *2 382 kilometres of
railway (narrow-gauge) connects Walvis Bay and Lüderitz
with key destinations in Namibia and South Africa.
Containerised traffic at Walvis Bay goes by rail, and the
port has its own marshalling yard for maximum
operational efficiency. The railway line from Walvis Bay to
Grootfontein, where there are transhipment facilities,
links in with the Trans-Caprivi Highway (*embNamibia).
The Port of Walvis Bay offers the shortest access route
to and from the SADC region, Europe and the Americas.
South America of which serves as a new trade route to
major shipping lines.
10
“ . . . ability to process a quarter of a million
containers annually and about 275 000 twenty-foot
equivalent units . . . ”
Through the Walvis Bay
Corridor, the infrastructure
and location of the port
makes it suitable to serve
the SADC region’s import and
export bound sea borne
cargo. It also provides a costeffective
alternative to the
ports of southern Africa which
operate (mostly) at maximum
capacity.
The Gauteng market can be
reached via the Trans-Kalahari
Corridor instead of via Durban
or Cape Town, saving seven to
11 days of transit time.
The Port is linked to Namibia’s air, rail and road network
making it well situated to service landlocked countries in
southern Africa, especially through the main arteries of
the Walvis Bay Corridor – the Trans-Caprivi, Trans-
Kalahari, Trans-Cunene Highways and the Walvis Bay-
Ndola-Lubumbashi Corridor.
The Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Corridor, in particular,
was set up by the governments of the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Namibia and Zambia to identify
and harmonise cross-border standards, to address
obstacles to trade between the Corridor member
countries and to promote economic development through
transport, trade, investment and tourism for the mutual
benefit of the DRC, Namibia and Zambia and the SADC
region as a whole.
“ The Gauteng market can be reached via the
Trans-Kalahari Corridor instead of going via Durban or
Cape Town, saving seven to 11 days of transit time. ”
Transit time from Antwerp to the Port of Walvis Bay is
17 days, and transhipment from the Port of Walvis Bay
to Gauteng an additional 48 hours.
Namibia has about 25 key airports – most of which are
paved and open to commercial use.
EXPORT & IMPORT SA // APRIL 2011