21OCT2019 - NEWS - 'State-of-the-art' jetty lacks bunkering facility'

The new terminal will increase Namport's container handling capacity from the current 355 000 twenty-foot equivalent units to up to 1 005 000 units. Two weeks after the inauguration, Namport begun a massive relocation exercise which meant moving over 2 000 containers and large cranes from the old terminal to the new one.

THERE has been much excitement since Namport's brand new N$4,2 billion container terminal was commissioned in August about the arrival of the German-operated passenger liner 'Albatros'' today, which would have been the first passenger liner to dock at the new 'state-of-the-art' jetty.

Plans were still on course for the historic event by lunchtime yesterday, but the excitement quickly evaporated just after lunch when Namport issued a notice that there has been a sudden change of plans.

It came to light that the new jetty does not have bunkering (ship refuelling) facilities.

“The Albatros passenger vessel will no longer berth at the new passenger terminal due to the vessel requiring bunkering. This service can only be delivered at the old terminal, and as such, the vessel will be serviced at berths 5-6.

The bunkering request was only received late yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon, and it is thus in the best interest to accommodate the Albatros at berth 5-6,” the notice, issued by Namport spokeswoman Edith Kukuri, read.