THE port of Ngqura is a step closer to getting a new manganese terminal. This is after the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) announced on Monday that it has started the search for a developer for the project.
The CDC said in a statement that it had issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting “capable and competent service providers with proven experience and track-record” to submit proposals for the development of the new terminal.
This follows the announcement by logistics parastatal Transnet in June that its ports authority arm, TNPA, had appointed the CDC as the implementing agent of choice for the relocation of the manganese and liquid bulk terminals from the port at Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) to the Port of Ngqura, about 20kms to the northeast.
Dr. Mpumi Mabula, the CDC’s Executive Manager for Infrastructure Planning and Development said the primary objective of the project was to provide “world-class”, end-to-end services to the manganese sector in South Africa.
Mabula said the project would unlock significant investment in the mining sector through improvement in logistics infrastructure and services and “seeks to have facilities that meet the best environmental standards, with a focus also on near-zero dust emissions, and zero impact on the groundwater, and other natural resources”.
The required technical solution is for a covered or enclosed Manganese Stockyard. “We are moving away from an Open Stockyard solution for environmental sustainability and world-class best practices,” Mabula said.
