Transnet plans R50bn port for old Durban airport
Transnet plans to forge ahead with plans to develop the site of the old Durban airport into a maritime container port at an initial cost of R50 billion, according to a presentation made to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises by Transnet CEO Brian Molefe on Tuesday, 14 June 2011.
According to Molefe's presentation, the old Durban airport site would be dug out and eventually equipped with 16 container berths, five automotive berths and four bulk liquid berths.
The first phase of the development would create four container berths creating capacity for 2.4 million containers, while Molefe said the ultimate capacity would be 9.6 million containers.
Durban International Airport, situated on 620 hectares of land south of the city, closed at the end of April 2010 when the King Shaka International Airport on the north coast opened for the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.