REPAIR BOOST: Bay fishing vessels will spend less time ashore
Slipway work part of R186m PE harbour upgrade
IN a major boost for Nelson Mandela Bay’s maritime and fishing industries, the boat maintenance and repair area – one of the harbour’s multimillion-rand upgrades – will be operating in June.
Work on the Port Elizabeth harbour’s R186-million upgrades, injected by Transnet National Port Terminals (TNPA), is nearing completion.
The first phase, upgrading the 73year-old 40-ton slipway to a 90-ton boat hoist quay, will be operating in June.
The second phase will involve the complete refurbishment of the 1 200ton lead-in jetties.
This will increase capacity and create space for more boats to be repaired at the same time, significantly cutting the amount of time fishermen spend out of the water – and consequent revenue losses.
Seen as one of the first major steps towards the realisation of the government’s massive Operation Phakisa, the upgrades have produced 80 direct jobs and created the opportunity for more employment prospects.
TNPA senior project manager Pieter-Ben van Rhijn said the upgrades were in line with the integrated port management system for all TNPA ports, and would be a long-term boost for the regional economy.
“The upgrade will also be a huge asset to the ever-growing fishing industry in the region,” he said.
“Once completed, it will provide a dry platform facility for 10 boats at a time for repairs and maintenance, as well as a docking bay.
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