Namport asset base grows to N$6.9 billion

Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) board chairperson Nangula Hamunyela says the port’s asset base has grown from N$93 million to N$6.9 billion in the past 30 years.

She said this at the Namport Annual Port Users and Stakeholders’ dinner at Walvis Bay on Friday, which also marked the ports 30th anniversary celebration.

Hamunyela said the port’s direct employment grew from 318 to 820 and that they provided thousands of indirect jobs through service providers, logistics and other supporting industries

Revenue increased from N$57 million to N$1.7 billion, with operating profit increasing from N$14 million to N$548 million.

Containers handled increased from 20 000 to 171 000.

Bulk and break-bulk cargo grew from 1.7 million to over 8 million tonnes per annum.

Namport chief executive Andrew Kanime thanked port users, employees, management and stakeholders, saying teamwork put the port in competition with industry leaders in Africa and internationally.

“We have been making significant progress to modernise our fleet, improve our processes, realign our culture, embrace partnerships in enhancing the competitiveness of our ports, and to make your interactions with us pleasurable and maximise the value for money that you derive from doing business with us,” he said.

Kanime said the port was exporting many raw and semi-processed minerals, and wanted to support the government’s initiative to add value to local resources.

“Namport has decided to facilitate industrialisation through the establishment of industrial clusters in our ports, leveraging the renewable energy resources that are in abundance around us. We have already started on this journey with our shift in the focus of our business model to a landlord model.”

“A front runner initiative in the strategic shift in our business model is the decision to introduce a private operator for the new container terminal at the Port of Walvis Bay to attract private capital.

It enables us to enhance the efficiencies and competitiveness of our ports, as well as to grow our levels of direct and indirect employment,” Kanime said.

Following a bidding process, the port selected Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), a subsidiary of a Switzerland-based company and a partner of the Mediterranean Shipping Company, as the preferred concessionaire for the new container terminal.

The port transferred container handling operations to TIL’s local subsidiary, Terminal Investment Namibia, effective from 4 November.

Kanime said the company had already started to dredge the channel at the Walvis Bay port. Completion is scheduled for April 2025.

The terminal, commissioned in 2019, has the capacity to handle 750 000 containers annually.

Namport also awarded port user Paul Wolf with the Namport chief executive lifetime industry achiever award.

Other awards went to Port Side Marine Services, Nekkov Logistics Solutions, GBL Marine Services, Logistics Support Services, Woker Freight Services, Maersk Namibia, Sturrock Grindrod Maritime Namibia and Trade Ocean Shipping Namibia, Walvis Bay Salt Refiners, Engen Namibia, and Logistics Support Services.