China-built Port to Become Southern Africa Logistics Hub

Located in mid-western Namibia, the Walvis Bay Port is the only deepwater port along the nearly 3,000-kilometer coastline from Angola to Cape Town. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

The Walvis Bay Port project in Namibia was completed and delivered to its buyer on August 2.

Contracted by China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC), a subsidiary of China Communications Construction Company Limited, the port is a result of Namibia's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and its cooperation with China.

Located in mid-western Namibia, the Walvis Bay Port is the only deepwater port along the nearly 3,000-kilometer coastline from Angola to Cape Town.

The project is valued at more than $800 million and includes a container port and an oil wharf. It has a scheduled construction period of three years.

It is currently the largest project under construction in the country.

The container port can handle a 100,000-ton capacity vessel. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

The container port construction contains an 800 TEU container wharf that can hold a 100,000-ton capacity vessel, a 372-meter cruise wharf and a 410,000 sq m land storage yard equaling the area of Tian'anmen Square as well as supporting facilities like railways, roads, water and electricity stations and communication services and housing.

The oil wharf has two berths for 60,000-ton refined oil products, a 1.7-kilometer offshore trestle, a 7-kilometer oil pipeline and a 75,000 sq m tank station with seven product tanks.

When completed, five kinds of petroleum products will be unloaded and stored here and a total of 10 million tons of oil will be handled here annually.

Local people dance to celebrate the completion of the port. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

Construction of the project started in May 2014 and was completed this month.

With special geological conditions rich in bergmeal, the project has been one of the most challenging.

The stratum has high porosity and low soil density, which increases the sedimentation risks.

According to Li Yi, vice-general manager of CHEC, more than 100 experts from 30 countries participated in the construction and solved the problem.

The container wharf, equipped with an automated port system, will promote cargo handling capacity and working efficiency at the Walvis Bay Port.

The four quay cranes, manufactured by Zhenhua Port Machinery Company limited, improve cargo handling efficiency by a factor of three to five times compared to current gantry cranes.

Two fire-fighting vessels spray water to celebrate the completion of the port. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

As a fishing and tourism center, Walvis Bay is a door to southern Africa. The construction had no negative impact on a nearby oyster farm and the number of tourists has not been reduced.

What's more, the container wharf, built on reclaimed land, has become a new scenic spot.

Home to rich mining resources like diamonds, uranium, copper and silver, Namibia has won the title of "reserve of strategic metals".

Mining, responsible for nearly 20 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP), is its pillar industry. About 90 percent of mineral products are for export.

The Walvis Bay Port will play a key role in building a logistics hub in southern African countries, which is mentioned in many national development plans of Namibia.

Namibian President Hage Geingob said that the port will turn from a main fishing port into an international logistics hub.

Josephan Ngure, deputy director-general of the African Development Bank, said that the container wharf will provide more business opportunities for inland countries like Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia and Malawi.

Namibian President Hage Geingob attends the launching ceremony of the container wharf of the Walvis Bay Port. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]

The project also provided jobs and training for local people. According to the company, more than 2,000 Namibians worked for the project during construction and over 800 local employees received technical training.

Sharifa Shimuni is one of the Namibians working as a quality controller. She said the project gives local people chances to acquire technical skills and knowledge.

"Jobs brought by the project have improved local people's lives," she added.

(Executive editor: Hao Wen)