Transnet National Ports Authority is seeking approval to reclaim over 22 hectares of land within the Port of Durban, between the existing Point multi-purpose terminal quay wall and a proposed new Point Container Terminal quay wall.
The application was gazetted two days ago, in terms of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act, 2008 (ICM Act), by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Willem Abraham Stephanus Aucamp, who has opened a 60-day window period for public submissions to comment.
According to their official announcement, TNPA is seeking in-principle ministerial approval to reclaim the 22.4 hectares which will require approximately four million cubic meters of infill material to complete the project.
The primary source of infill material would be an authorized sandwinning site located offshore, near the port entrance.
The reclamation forms part of TNPA’s broader KZN Ports Master Plan, which aims to reconfigure the Port of Durban and the Port of Richards Bay to establish Durban as a container hub port serving both South Africa and the wider Southern African region.
If the reclamation proceeds, the new land would be developed to accommodate:
- a new quay wall and berths for container vessels;
- infrastructure for ultra-large container ships (ULCS);
- container stacking yards for imports and exports; and
- land and water areas reserved for future expansion.
