WALVIS BAY – The SADC Gateway Port, part of the Namibia Ports Authority (Namport), could become a reality with the first phase – the construction of the Oil Terminal – expected to take off soon.
The highly ambitious N$30-billion SADC Gateway Port will be developed in at least five phases while construction will gradually take place as demand for services arises.
Namibia Ports Authority engineer, Elzevir Gelderbloem revealed this during a breakfast meeting at the port to report on progress made so far with the expansion of the port.
“The contract was awarded already and construction is expected to start this month while the phase itself will be commissioned in 2017,” he explained.
The oil terminal will consist of two new tanker berths that will replace the port’s current tanker berth. According to Gelderbloem, the existing tanker berth already reached its lifespan, as it banked the country’s fuel for the past 50 years and thus needs to be replaced.
Gelderbloem explained that the Ministry of Mines and Energy has already awarded the contract to a consortium, which includes a Chinese contractor.
“Construction equipment will soon be mobilised and, in a short time, the left side of the road between Bird Island and Kuisebmond will be a hive of activity,” said Gelderbloem.
The construction of the first phase will cost about N$4 billion.
Gelderbloem said phase two of the SADC Gateway Port will focus on the construction of the planned Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal.
He said the terminal will provide gas to the new power plant to be constructed soon behind Dune 7 to supply the SADC Gateway Port with power.
“The new power plant will be gas-fuelled and plans are already at an advanced stage as the tender will be awarded later this year,” he explained.
According to him, Namport must provide facilities to import the gas and therefore a pipeline will be fitted. “The power and gas station will be permanently connected via the pipeline that in turn will supply the power station permanently with gas,” explained Gelderbloem.
He said the gas terminal is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 and will cost about N$6 billion.
Phase three, Gelderbloem said, entails the construction of the multi-purpose bulk oil terminal. “This terminal will be able to handle up to 10 million tonnes per annum. A feasibility study will be conducted later this year and implementation of this phase will only start in 2017 while it will be commissioned in 2019,” he said.
Furthermore, Gelderbloem said phase four will consist of a ship and rig repair yard.
“We are currently strongly looking at the possibility to set up such a facility at the SADC Gateway Port. As for phase five, the Botswana Coal Terminal that will handle about 100 million tonnes of coal per annum) that will be a storage facility for coal imported from Botswana. Due to Namibia’s central location Botswana opted to export coal to their international clients via the port of Walvis Bay,” he further stated.
Gelderbloem says this phase is highly dependent on the planned Trans-Kalahari railway line.
“We can only start with this phase once the actual construction of the Trans-Kalahari railway line starts,” he said.