The East London port's car terminal has been awarded the highest safety, health and environmental status in the country.

The business unit that falls under SA Port Operations (Sapo) was awarded a Noscar rating after it maintained a five-star National Occupational Safety Association (Nosa) rating for three consecutive years. This is ahead of the country’s other car terminals in Durban and Port Elizabeth.

Pieter Klinkradt, business unit executive, said he believed the award will create awareness amongst international automotive manufacturers of the standard of service rendered.

Klinkradt said the automotive industry makes up a significant portion of the East London cargo base and the terminal has a designed throughput capacity of about 50,000 units per annum.

"All of the necessary technical work has also been undertaken and completed by Sapo for the terminal to be extended to its maximum design capacity of about 180,000 units per annum if the situation should demand this."

At this stage, however, no expansion is being considered as only one manufacturer is making use of the facility and the facility is designed according to its needs.

The award was presented by Nosa International to the business unit last week at an award ceremony at Caesar's Palace in Johannesburg.

The terminal was also recognised in 2001, when it received an award for its integrated Safety Health Environment Risk and Quality systems.