The Orion Engineered Carbons (OEC) tank farm project, in Zone 7 of the Coega Special Economic Zone (CSEZ) in Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape, has officially been unveiled.

Trade, Industry and Competition chief director of infrastructure Justice Ngwenya, who addressed the official launch, said the project was part of efforts to create a conducive business environment for the creation of jobs.

The tank farm project is the result of a collaboration between the Coega Development Corporation; the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic); the Eastern Cape government; the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality; and Transnet National Ports Authority.

The dtic provided R273-million to fund the project.

The relocation to the CSEZ of the liquid fuel storage facilities of OEC follows the closure of the company’s Dom Pedro tank farm in Gqeberha.

Ngwenya said the new two-18 000 m³-tank farm enables the transportation of black feedstock oil from the Port of Ngqura for subsequent storage and use in the production of carbon black oil (CBO), a crucial ingredient in the manufacture of tyres and various high-performance applications.

He added that the new location had helped to safeguard about 7 000 jobs in the region's automotive and tyre manufacturing industries.

“The automotive industry contributes significantly to job creation, economic growth and exports. One of the key considerations in the decision of the dtic to fund this initiative was the need to preserve and create jobs in the automotive sector.

“We are pleased that the construction of the facility enabled the creation of 267 jobs through the appointment of six small, medium-sized and microenterprises, while a further 100 jobs will be created during operations,” Ngwenya said.

He noted that the first full vessel, carrying 30 000 t of CBO was delivered to the tank farm. 

“The load was successfully offloaded, and OEC is currently drawing oil from the tanks via the transfer station on a daily basis for processing,” Ngwenya said.