Tuulikki Abraham
Lüderitz-A few years ago Namport launched a geo-physical study to determine the nature of the seabed, which revealed that it is rocky at the current port of Lüderitz.
Thereafter Namport conducted another feasibility study in 2012 that indicated the deep water needed for port activities was available at Angra Point, which has a natural draft of between 16 and 18 metres water depth.
The current Port of Lüderitz has a shallow port with a draft of 8.75 metres water depth. Port manager of Lüderitz Max Kooper stated this during a recent visit by New Era.
The Port of Lüderitz facilitates the import and export of goods at the coastal town with future plans to extend and improve the current infrastructure of the port.
Kooper said the development of Angra Point deepwater port would enable bigger vessels to call the port. Right now the port is still limited to small vessels due to depth limitations.
Kooper explained that they are seized with the Angra Deepwater Port Development and they are busy with an Environmental Scoping Assessment that will be conducted in Lüderitz and in Windhoek.
He said an environmental scoping assessment is required for the development of the new port, which will aim at setting the terms of reference for a strategic environmental assessment for the project.
The strategic environmental assessment will ultimately be submitted to the Department of Environmental Affairs in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, to apply for an environmental clearance certificate.
Lüderitz Port exports zinc, ingots and imports sulphur for Skorpion Zinc. From Rosh Pinah Zinc Mine, the port handles zinc concentrate in raw form and lead concentrate.
It also handles fish and diesel, which is mainly imported for the fishing industry.
In 2015 discussed were undertaken with the grape farmers at Aussenkehr to see if they were interested in making use of the Port of Lüderitz and at the end of 2015 the first consignment of export-quality grapes from Namibia was shipped to The Netherlands via Lüderitz.
That grapes trans-shipped through Lüderitz were produced at Aussenkehr, a new development as Namibian produced grapes were previously exported to Rotterdam in The Netherlands via Cape Town, South Africa.