| Walvis Bay dock giving Cape Town a run for its money |
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| Written by Staff Reporters | |
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Namdock, the company operating the floating dock at Walvis Bay port, is expected to be a major boost to mining and engineering firms using the port.
The floating dock was bought early last year by Elgin Brown & Hamer Namibia in a joint venture with Namibia Ports Authority. Prior to that, ship repairs were only done in Cape Town and Durban.
According to NamPort CEO Sebby Kankondi, acquiring the
dock was a deliberate effort by NamPort to intensify ship repair
activities with the aim of creating jobs and boosting economic
development. The dock was bought in Malta for N$30 million. Namdock has
the capacity to lift vessels of up to 150 metres long, 25 metres wide
and with a weight of up to 8500 metric tonnes.
Namdock has a turnover of around N$100 million, 90% of which is business generated from outside the country. A feasibility study is presently underway to determine the viability of extending the operations by purchasing a second floating dock, which could be in operations within 12 months. There are 270 people currently employed by Namdock with a further 75 people employed indirectly through subcontracting companies. The dock at Walvis Bay is already in competition with Cape Town as it is now a viable alternative to Cape Town and Durban, which have the best ship-repair facilities in the region in terms of infrastructure, for shipping companies wanting to repair vessels on the African coast. Namdock is identical to Eldock, a Durban-based floating dock, which was the first private floating dock in South Africa. NamPort hopes that the dock will result in more companies repairing their vessels in the country. |
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