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PORTS, TRANSPORT AND LOGISTICS SECTOR NEWS ROUND-UP, 12/2020 (6 – 17 JULY 2020)

By Andrew Pike Friday, July 24, 2020
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In light of the rapid pace of infrastructure and transport developments across Africa, our Ports, Transport and Logistics (PTL) Sector Group is pleased to present Bowmans’ latest PTL news round-up. Our regular round-ups bring you a selection of pan-African PTL-related stories and keep you up to date regarding developments in the space across Africa.

We draw on a network of multi-disciplinary experts across Africa in fields as diverse as project finance, construction and environmental law, to keep you in the know about developments and thought leadership in the PTL space.

The articles to which we refer readers are, unless stated otherwise, neither written nor edited by ourselves and appear in their original form. Bowmans does not necessarily agree with opinions expressed in those articles.

This edition includes news headlines and links to articles from a variety of sources, covering stories from Botswana, Burundi, DRC, Kenya, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

For Coronavirus (Covid-19) related updates from South Africa…

Please see Bowmans’ dedicated ports and shipping web page for details of Covid-19 related regulatory changes, directions and updates in South Africa since 16 March. We also have a page dedicated to aviation regulatory changes, directions and updates.

Africa Ports provides statistics and commentary on the effect of Covid-19 on cargo volumes and ships calling at South African ports for the months of March, April, May and June 2020 respectively, including a comparison with the figures for the same months in 2019.

For non-Covid19 legislation updates from South Africa…

Other news continues below...

Durban car terminal sets new record (South Africa)
Source: Creamer Media’s Engineering News (17 July 2020) 
The Durban Car Terminal (DCT) has broken its handling record for two years running, with exports and transhipments playing a key role in the latest achievement. Read the full article here.

East African integration is alive – even though leaders haven’t been united over COVID-19 (Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda)
Source: Africa Ports (17 July 2020)
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed further fault lines in the workings of the East African Community (EAC), often perceived as a beacon of regional integration on the continent. Read the full article here.

Port of Cape Town recovery under way (South Africa)
Source: Southern Africa’s Freight News by FTW (17 July 2020)
The Port of Cape Town is making headway in addressing its congestion challenges and delays which were exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19 on its resources. Read the full article here.

Maputo port suffers massive losses thanks to land-side congestion (Mozambique)
Source: Southern Africa’s Freight News by FTW (17 July 2020)
A Swiss-based agri distributor shipping grain from Mpumalanga to Kenya via the Port of Maputo has reduced its original shipment by about one third because of congestion and delays at the border posts of Lebombo and Ressano-Garcia. Read the full article here.

Mozambique cabotage programme sets sail with Greta (Mozambique)
Source: Africa Ports (16 July 2020)
On Tuesday 14 July Mozambique’s return to cabotage shipping got underway with the sailing from the port of Maputo of the 4470-dwt general cargo ship GRETA (IMO 9344382), with scheduled calls at Beira, Nacala and Pemba. Read the full article here. 

Coega a driving force behind multi-billion-rand Tshwane auto city (South Africa)
Source: Africa Ports (16 July 2020)
The Coega Development Corporation (CDC), developer and operator of the Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ), announced this week Tuesday it has been appointed as the Implementing Agent (IA) to develop and operate the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ). Read the full article here.

New port development planned for Bonthe island (Sierra Leone)
Source: Africa Ports (15 July 2020)
Plans for a new port and industrial zone in Sierra Leone have been revealed. The US1.4 billion project is to be about 150 km south of Freetown on the island of Bonthe. Read the full article here.

AfCFTA pushes digitisation to achieve objectives (Africa)
Source: Southern Africa’s Freight News by FTW (15 July 2020)
Secretary-General of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat, Wamkele Mene, has called on Africans to take advantage of the opportunities in digital trade. Read the full article here.

East Africa holding its own in face of Covid-19 (East Africa)
Source: Southern Africa’s Freight News by FTW (15 July 2020)

While the Covid-19 pandemic may have pushed down East Africa’s growth projection for 2020 to 1.2%, it still outstrips other African regions and is forecast to rebound to 3.7% in 2021, according to the African Development Bank’s ‘East Africa Regional Economic Outlook 2020’. Read the full article here.

Road freight operators face a perfect storm (Botswana, DRC, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe)
Source: Southern Africa’s Freight News by FTW (8 July 2020)
Covid case confirmations, road blocks, cargo-seal shortages, power outages and related issues compromising effective road freight sum up the challenges transporters are facing across the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Read the full article here.

Port of Cape Town gets its act together (South Africa)
Source: Southern Africa’s Freight News by FTW (8 July 2020)
Throughput efficiencies at the Port of Cape Town are steadily improving, with several interventions bearing fruit - so much so that Covid-related cargo build-up could soon be cleared up. Read the full article here.

Total confident over security with Cabo Delgado gas project (Mozambique)
Source: Africa Ports (8 July 2020)
Total, the French oil major said it has confidence in the ‘secure execution’ of the gas exploration project in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. It is in this region that an Islamist terrorist group has appeared, which has been attacking and executing villagers and townspeople across several parts of the province, some of them close to the Total landside project of Area 1. Read the full article here.

Islamic State threatens South Africa over involvement in Mozambique conflict (Mozambique)
Source: Africa Ports (8 July 2020)
According to an AIM report, the international terrorist organisation known as ‘Islamic State‘ or DAESH, has issued a threat of extending its activities into South Africa should this country become involved in supporting the Mozambique authorities in its fight against Islamist insurgents in northern Mozambique. Read the full article here.

Africa’s biggest investment takes shape under Islamist threat (Mozambique)
Source: Creamer Media’s Engineering News (17 July 2020)
Dozens of soldiers clutching AK-47s and grenade launchers watch over roaring bulldozers on the white sand beach that meets a tropical turquoise sea. Read the full article here.

Kenya Court declares SGR contract with China's CRBC illegal (Kenya)
Source: Africa Ports (7 July 2020)
In a new development involving Kenya’s impressive yet controversial Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), connecting the port of Mombasa with Nairobi and Naivasha in the west, Kenya’s Court of Appeals has found in favour of the Law Society of Kenya that the contract to build the US$3.2 billion railway was illegal on the grounds of a public project having been awarded without going through a public competition. Read the full article here.

Kenya govt backs down over edict forcing the use of SGR for freight (Kenya and Uganda)
Source: Africa Ports (7 July 2020)
The Kenya Government has backed down on an edict proclaimed earlier forcing cargo owners to rail freight between Mombasa and Nairobi and Naivasha. Read the full article here.

Transnet Port Terminals Chief Executive appointed (South Africa)
Source: Africa Ports (7 July 2020)
Velile Dube, who has been with Transnet Port Terminals in various capacities for a number of years, has been appointed the new Chief Executive of TPT. Read the full article here. Also reported by Creamer Media’s Engineering News here.

Mossel Bay reports steady flow of work for ship repair (South Africa)
Source: Africa Ports (6 July 2020)
The Port of Mossel Bay is reporting a steady flow of work at the port’s ship repair facility which is helping to create much-needed jobs in the region as the country battles widening job losses due to Covid-19 and the national lockdown. Read the full article here.

Decongesting the Port of Durban (South Africa)
Source: Africa Ports (6 July 2020)
It is a well-known fact that the Port of Durban or at least the landside of things in the Bayhead and Maydon Wharf areas, are often heavily congested. Read the full article here.

Cape Town catching up with backlogs (South Africa)
Source: Africa Ports (6 July 2020)
According to the Port of Cape Town it is ramping up operations and reducing shipping backlogs caused as a result of COVID-19 on the port’s human resources. Read the full article here