State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has signed a terminal operator agreement (TOA) with Mnambithi Terminals for the development of a liquid bulk facility at the port’s Maydon Wharf precinct, in KwaZulu-Natal.

The project is expected to result in improved operational efficiencies at the Maydon Precinct as Transnet pursues several tactical initiatives to drive volume recovery and improve efficiencies across its divisions through the business-wide recovery plan.

The signing ceremony, which marks a turning point in the history of the Port of Durban, follows the successful conclusion of a Section 79 directive as per the National Ports Act of 2005 issued by the Minister of Transport for TNPA to grant Mnambithi Terminals a terminal operator agreement for the handling of liquid bulk at Maydon Wharf 6, for a period of 20 years.

The agreement with Mnambithi Terminals, a 100% black-owned subsidiary of Mnambithi Group, is in large part a transformation initiative that is expected to simultaneously ensure the facilitation of trade through the import and export of high-flash liquid bulk cargo at the port.

The new terminal will feature direct rail and road loading, and an on-site truck staging area with automated loading systems that will improve operational efficiencies while alleviating road congestion in the Maydon Wharf precinct.

With an investment value of R1.3-billion, the liquid bulk facility is also set to create between 50 and 100 direct jobs and a little more than 400 indirect job opportunities for communities surrounding the Port of Durban from the project’s inception phase.

“TNPA is deliberate about enabling transformation in the industry and breaking barriers of entry by ensuring inclusion and access for all. We are, therefore, delighted to welcome Mnambithi Terminals, and hope that this strategic relationship will promote the national, strategic and economic interests of the country,” said Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips on May 23.

The project will be carried out in two phases, with the initial phase entailing the demolition of the existing structure and foundations, the installation of tanks, associated infrastructure, and road loading gantry, and the bulk transfer of pipelines connecting Mnambithi Terminals to the relevant berths to receive liquid cargo.

The second phase will entail the installation of remaining tanks and associated infrastructure.