Port of Richards Bay
Richards Bay may not be the biggest coastal city in South Africa, but it is the home of South Africa’s most modern bulk port. This top ranking port was built in 1976 almost exclusively for the export of coal but it has long since expanded to cater to other bulk and breakbulk cargoes. It is located at Longitude 32º 02’ East and Latitude 28º 48’ South. This also makes the Richards Bay Port the northern and eastern-most port in the country. It is roughly 160 kilometers northeast of Durban.
It all started in 1843 when Commissioner Henry Cloete surveyed the Mhlatuze estuary to determine its potential as a harbor. Despite the fact that he declared that the area had ‘little or no potential’ as a harbour, one was built here anyway. There was a need to build a port that was designed specifically for the export of South African coal and the location at Richards Bay was perfect. Before long, a dedicated railway line connecting the Richards Bay Port with the provinces of Mpumalanga and Gauteng was built and harbor operations came into full swing.
Today the port occupies roughly 2 157 hectares of land and 1495 hectares of water. As if this weren’t impressive enough, the port also has place for expansion which makes it one of the largest ports in the world. In the year 2005 it handled roughly 89 million tonnes of cargo and, based on current trends, exports are unlikely to sink below that impressive mark. Its main inland customers are currently the coalfields in KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga while timber and granite are exported from as far as that Eastern Cape and Northern Cape. The Richards Bay Port continues to serve primarily as an export depot and it is open 365 days a year. It also enjoys rail links with Durban, Swaziland and Mozambique.
The Richards Bay Port currently features 21 berths, excluding the dredger and tug berths. It also has an extensive network of conveyor belt systems and enjoys a good railway network supply system. So if you in another country and looking at import choices or you are a South African trying to determine the best possible export point, look no further that the Richards Bay Port. You won’t regret it.
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