AFRICA’S NEWEST harbour, the Eastern Cape port of Ngqura, is expected to receive its first ships within the next three years. The National Ports Authority (NPA) of SA has announced that the procurement process for the Port of Ngqura began on 25 January 2002 with the invitation of tenders for the construction of the maritime infrastructure for the first phase development of the port. The first tenders should be awarded within three months, with first ship expected in the Port of Ngqura 31 months after the award of the contract, according to the NPA. Ngqura will serve the adjacent Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ), and will also become a major container hub. According to a study by Stellenbosch-based Maritime Education Research and Information Technology (MERIT), the new port will initially handle around 400 000 standard containers a year. The Anglo-Dutch Consortium of P&O Nedlloyd and TCI Infrastructure (TCII) has signed an agreement with the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) which should lead to a concession agreement for the development and running of the container terminal. The NQA says the Port of Ngqura “is considered to be the catalyst that will unlock the development potential of the adjacent Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).” The NPA says it completed the design of the first phase of the port, comprising five berths, in January 2001. The recent proclamation of the Port of Ngqura by president Thabo Mbeki, as required by the Port of Ngqura Establishment Act, has cleared the final legal hurdle for the project. Tenders for first three contracts are: Main contract: Breakwaters, quay walls for the five berths and earthworks; Dredging contract: Dredging of the approach and entrance channels; Sand bypass contract. Work has already begun on a haul road between a quarry in the Coega IDZ and the site of the harbour. The quarry will be used to provide the stone and fill for the port. Latest estimates on the cost of the port are R2.6-billion.