Namibia’s new container terminal situated in the coastal town of Walvis Bay has placed the country in a more competitive position as it can now accommodate larger vessels, making it a preferred destination by many countries.
Built by the China Harbor Engineering Company, CHEC, the container terminal is working towards the nation’s goal to become a main logistics hub for the Southern African region, unlocking huge trading opportunities between the rest of the world and Africa. According to Namibian Port Authority (Namport) Acting Chief Executive Officer Kevin Harry, the container terminal has created opportunities that are navigating Namibia towards becoming the main gate for landlocked countries.
“The completion of the new Walvis Bay container terminal has elevated Namibia’s transport infrastructure to a well-functioning and high-quality standard. As a result, the road corridors that are linked to local and regional markets have experienced growth in cargo volumes,” Harry said.
Namibia made history when it received the largest vessel to ever dock in the Namibian waters, a 335 meter Maersk ‘Sheerness’, with a loading capacity of 9,000 containers. The arrival of this vessel was of great significance to the entire country because it places the country in a more competitive position as it now can accommodate larger vessels, Harry said. The port has also become a saving grace for stranded empty cruise ships which are in limbo due to the COVID-19 pandemic by providing berthing space.
The new container terminal located in the port town of Walvis Bay was constructed on 40 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea and more than doubled the container terminal’s carrying capacity to some 750,000 containers.
Source: vanguardngr.com