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Durban harbour is fully functional, Gordhan says
From the perspective of State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), Durban harbour is fully functional, with gradual improvements expected to take place where gaps in functionality occur, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said during a media briefing on April 19.
“Ships are coming in, ships are going out and the necessary work is being done by the TNPA to ensure the harbour is in the state where it can be used,” he said, providing an update on operations following the severe weather and rainfall in KwaZulu-Natal last week.
Gordhan said a dredger was on its way from Cape Town to Durban to assist in clearing up the significant amount of debris that washed into the harbour from the harbour’s many tributaries.
In terms of accessing the harbour from land, part of Bayhead road had been reopened after urgent repairs were conducted. The road is a key access route to the harbour.
Gordhan said an alternate route was also being prepared and would be ready by mid-year, to prevent the port from being inaccessible ever again.
“That's another lesson that we've learned in terms of building in redundancy on our side as far as imports and exports are concerned,” Gordhan explained.
In terms of rail access, a variety of repairs needed to be conducted in several places along the tracks throughout KwaZulu-Natal following the collapse of rail-bearing embankments and mudslides.
The damage ranged from rails simply being covered with mud and debris, to rails being left hanging and twisted in mid-air and the embankment under it gone. This could take up to eight weeks to repair, Gordhan said.
TNPA Durban port manager Mpumi Dweba told Engineering News & Mining Weekly that, while the rail infrastructure was built to the highest standards, the unprecedented amount of rain really showed that a lot of work needed to be done in terms of making sure the tracks were strengthened and maintained against future possible floods.
She also said the encroachment of illegal settlers onto railway servitudes and sidings had interfered with the drainage systems, worsening the flooding and resulting damage.
“We are continuously doing maintenance on the lines, but it is hampered by access into some areas, but it's something that we're working on,” she said.
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By Engineering NewsFrom the perspective of State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), Durban harbour is fully functional, with gradual improvements expected to take place where gaps in functionality occur, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said during a media briefing on April 19.
“Ships are coming in, ships are going out and the necessary work is being done by the TNPA to ensure the harbour is in the state where it can be used,” he said, providing an update on operations following the severe weather and rainfall in KwaZulu-Natal last week.
Gordhan said a dredger was on its way from Cape Town to Durban to assist in clearing up the significant amount of debris that washed into the harbour from the harbour’s many tributaries.
In terms of accessing the harbour from land, part of Bayhead road had been reopened after urgent repairs were conducted. The road is a key access route to the harbour.
Gordhan said an alternate route was also being prepared and would be ready by mid-year, to prevent the port from being inaccessible ever again.
“That's another lesson that we've learned in terms of building in redundancy on our side as far as imports and exports are concerned,” Gordhan explained.
In terms of rail access, a variety of repairs needed to be conducted in several places along the tracks throughout KwaZulu-Natal following the collapse of rail-bearing embankments and mudslides.
The damage ranged from rails simply being covered with mud and debris, to rails being left hanging and twisted in mid-air and the embankment under it gone. This could take up to eight weeks to repair, Gordhan said.
TNPA Durban port manager Mpumi Dweba told Engineering News & Mining Weekly that, while the rail infrastructure was built to the highest standards, the unprecedented amount of rain really showed that a lot of work needed to be done in terms of making sure the tracks were strengthened and maintained against future possible floods.
She also said the encroachment of illegal settlers onto railway servitudes and sidings had interfered with the drainage systems, worsening the flooding and resulting damage.
“We are continuously doing maintenance on the lines, but it is hampered by access into some areas, but it's something that we're working on,” she said.