THE NATIONAL PORTS Authority has broken the coastline in the first phase of the building of the marine infrastructure for the deep-water port of Ngqura, which forms part of the Coega Industrial Development Zone. FTW saw the construction of a “bunt-wall” at the mouth of the Coega river while on a media flight over the Coega IDZ. An engineer on site said the wall, which stretches several metres into the sea, was being built to provide protection for the land-side construction of the container quay. Rocks for the retaining wall are being provided by the Coega Kop Quarry, which has also been commissioned. The building of the bunt-wall signals the start of the construction of the new harbour, which will – according to reports – be ready early in 2005. Meanwhile, the preparation of the Coega Industrial Development Zone is speeding up. According to Coega Development Corporation (CDC) spokesperson Vuyelwa Vika, there are currently nearly two thousand people working on 10 different construction sites in the zone. By this time next year, the CDC expects there to be 15 000 workers on site.