Saldanha Bay is a small town located 72 miles from Cape Town on South Africa’s West Coast. Presently the town is reliant on fishing, a small port service station and exporting iron ore that is brought in by rail from South Africa’s Northern Cape Province.
The small town of Saldanha Bay is on the verge of exploding into industrial activity. The reason for this is the significant geographic importance of its underutilized port. Saldanha Bay is home to the deepest natural port in the Southern Hemisphere and has the potential to service vessels with a draft of up to 21.5 meters deep.
Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) will develop an oil and gas service facility at the Saldanha Bay port. Cape Business news reported that “This is the first time the TNPA is inviting private-sector participation in the project, and Requests for Proposals (RFPs) will be issued for a 380m-long, 21m-deep rig-repair berth (called Berth 205) to service deep-water rigs, and a 500m jetty and repair facility to service support vessels.”
The total project cost including land and marine infrastructure is estimated to be around $825 million, in U.S. dollars.
The market for the new development includes the existing 120 oil rigs that pass South Africa each year as well as future growth in the oil and industry focused around significant oil, gas and shale gas discoveries in and around the Southern African coast.
Matthew Klynsmith earned a business administration diploma at CTI in Cape Town, South Africa. He now works at Strategic Options as an associate partner. To read more reports from Matthew Klynsmith, Go Here Now.
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