Port Of Ngqura

Description

The Port of Ngqura, also known as Coega Harbour, is a deep water port on the east coast of South Africa, around 20km north east of Port Elizabeth. Situated at the mouth of the Coega River, it is the newest and deepest container port in South Africa.

The port is sheltered by two breakwaters. The western breakwater is 1.3km long, while the main eastern breakwater is the longest in South Africa at 2.7km. The main function of the port is to service industrial bulk commodity requirements, both regionally and nationally, and to relieve congestion at other ports.

The Port of Ngqura is unique for two reasons. Firstly, it is the only port in South Africa with environmental authorization for its construction and operation. The paleo-channel that runs through the port and Juheel Island, situated 1km offshore, both drastically influenced the layout of the port. The paleo-channel allows the convenience of a deep water port without needing to dredge large amounts of consolidated material. The port also had to be built at least 500m away from Juheel Island in order to protect the marine and birdlife.

Secondly, the Port of Ngqura is the first in the world to have a fixed jet pump sand bypass. This recreates the natural longshore drift of sand along the coast, and pumps the sand from the west to the east.

Transnet National Ports Authority will be constructing a manganese loading facility which will make the Port of Ngqura a leading exporter of manganese ore across the globe. The relocation of the current manganese facility from the Port of Port Elizabeth to Ngqura will increase the capacity from 5.5 to 16 million tonnes a year.