At the Port of Walvis Bay, Namport offers a thriving ship repair facility to the shipping industry. A wide range of ships, including many
vessels employed in the offshore sector, are able to save valuable steaming time using the Port of Walvis Bay for dry docking and repairs
instead of going on to Cape Town. Moreover, due to the closure of some of the ship repair services in Cape Town, many vessels have
found shelter at the Walvis Bay Syncrolift for their repairs.
Capacity
The Syncrolift can lift vessels up to 2,000t displacement, 80m in length overall, and 12m in width. On average, the Syncrolift handles
about 50 vessels per month.
Namport manages and operates the docking and undocking of vessels to and from the lift, whereas private companies and individuals
perform all the repair work. The Syncrolift is, therefore, an important facility for a number of local ship repair and engineering companies,
all of which carry out dry docking, repair work, and repainting of vessels in the adjoining bays. It is estimated that 80% of the work
generated at the Syncrolift is done by private companies – which shows the great entrepreneurial spinoff the Syncrolift has.
During 2004, Namport conducted upgrading and maintenance services that included upgrading forklifts, applying fenders at jetties,
testing magnetic ropes on an ongoing basis, levelling platforms, installing slide transfers, and upgrading oil stores.
NAMDOCK
The arrival of Elgin, Brown & Hamer Namibia (Pty) Limited’s floating dock in Walvis Bay is evidence of Namport’s first public/private
partnership. Elgin, Brown and Hamer Consortium (Pty) Limited and Namport have jointly undertaken a significant step in increasing
Namibia’s capacity in the ship repair industry.
This is a deliberate effort by the Namibian government through Namport to intensify ship
repair activities with the aim of job creation and economic development. Ownership of the floating dock and the ship repair activities wil
be conducted by Elgin, Brown & Hamer Namibia (Pty) Limited; a joint venture between Namport and Elgin, Brown & Hamer.
