The Namibian Ports Authority (also referred to as ‘Namport’ or the ‘Authority’) was established by the Namibian Ports Authority Act, No. 2 of 1994. It is recognised as a public enterprise in terms of the Public Enterprises Governance Act, No. 1 of 2019.
Namport, together with its subsidiary companies, Namdock, Namport Property Holdings (Pty) Ltd and Lüderitz Boatyard (Pty) Ltd, and Namibia e-Trade Services (Pty) Ltd, are referred to as the ‘Group’.
From its headquarters in Walvis Bay, Namport manages Namibia’s ports in Walvis Bay and Lüderitz.
The Port of Walvis Bay, situated on Africa’s southwestern coast, serves a convenient and fast transit route, connecting southern Africa, Europe, Asia and the Americas.
The Port of Lüderitz, located 254 nautical miles south of the Port of Walvis Bay, caters for Namibia’s southern regions and provides access to South African markets in the Northern Cape.
The stable political environment in Namibia continues to attract foreign direct investment, while its ports form a natural gateway for international trade, Strategically situated to offer direct access to principal shipping routes, Namibia’s connecting transport corridors enable the country to compete as a transport hub for all regional and international trade between the Southern African Development Community countries, Europe, Asia, the Americas and the rest of the world.
Namport’s key roles:
- Manage the port facilities to cater for current trade needs.
- Develop the ports for future demands.
- Contribute to the competitiveness of the SADC region’s trade through the efficient, reliable and cost-effective supply of port services.
- Facilitate economic growth in Namibia by enabling regional development and cross-border trade.
- Promote the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz as preferred routes for sea-borne trade between SADC, Europe, Asia and the Americas.
- As one of the founding architects of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group, assist with developing cross-border trade.
- Minimise the impact of port operations on the natural environment by applying ISO 14001 standards.
- Uplift and support the communities in which we operate.
GENERAL VESSEL TRAFFIC
General vessel traffic is the heart of Namport’s business. Between 2,000 and 2,250 vessels visit the ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz and handles approximately 5 million tonnes of cargo per annum.
CONTAINER CARGO HANDLING
The new container terminal at the Port of Walvis Bay was officially inaugurated on 2 August 2019 and operationalised by 24 August 2019. This increased the throughput capacity to 750,000 TEUs (twenty-foot-equivalent unit) per annum.
CROSS-BORDER CARGO IMPORT/EXPORT
The Namibian Ports handles an assortment of cross-border cargo imports and exports via four (4) main trade corridors Trans-Kalahari Corridor, Walvis Bay-Ndola-Lubumbashi Corridor, Trans-Cunene Corridor and Trans-Oranje Corridor connecting the Ports to the respective SADC markets namely; Zambia, DRC, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Angola.
VESSEL REPAIR FACILITY
The Port of Walvis Bay offers ship repair facilities which includes the Syncrolift with a lifting capacity of up to 2,000 tons and three Panamax floating docks operated by
Namdock, with a combined lifting capacity of 29,500 tons.
FUEL IMPORTS
Petroleum imports form the biggest share of commodities landed at the Port of Walvis Bay (35 percent of freight tonnes landed).
Two (2) tanker berths that can accommodate 60,000 deadweight ton tankers for offloading liquid bulk commodities mainly fuel (refined) via pipeline at Walvis Bay’s North Port, with a fuel storage capacity of Seventy Five (75) million litres operated by
NAMCOR.
PASSENGER TRAFFIC
The global cruise-line industry has also grown steadily. The new container terminal makes provision for a dedicated passenger berth for accommodating cruise/passenger vessels at the Port of Walvis Bay.
COMMODITY EXPORT/IMPORTS
Commodities are handled in three formats namely containers, bulk and breakbulk at the Namibian Ports. Main commodities handled are: salt, copper, coal, sulphuric acid, wheat, sulphur, petroleum, manganese, ammonium nitrate, vehicles, frozen products (fish, beef & poultry), foodstuffs (rice, maize & sugar) project cargo, charcoal, malt, timber, uranium and mining chemicals.
VEHICLE TRAFFIC
Imports of new and second-hand vehicles have grown steadily. A tract of land that could accommodate 3,500 vehicles has been identified for acquisition.
SUPPORT FOR THE FISHING INDUSTRY
The ports of Walvis Bay and Lüderitz constitute vital links in the export of fish and fish products from Namibia to a global market.
SERVING THE GLOBAL MARKET
Around 80 percent of global trade by volume, and over 70 percent of global trade by value, is seaborne. Some 90 percent of Africa’s imports and exports are conducted by sea. The African Development Bank has forecast that port-throughput in Africa will rise from 265 million tonnes in 2009 to more than 2 billion tonnes in 2040.
The southern African region constitutes 41 percent of Africa’s container throughput and is thus a critical player in the growth of the African continent.
During the past two decades, Namport has grown substantially, in both size and significance, from a minor national port to a key role player in the SADC region. With its recent substantial infrastructural investment in expanding the facilities at the Port of Walvis Bay, it is set to increase its relevance even more.
TRADE ROUTES WE SERVE
Strategically located half way down the coast of Namibia, with direct access to principal shipping routes, Walvis Bay is a natural gateway for international trade.
The Port of Walvis Bay is Namibia’s largest commercial port, receiving between 1,800 and 2,500 vessel calls each year and handling about 5 million tonnes of cargo.
The Port of Walvis Bay is a secure, efficient and world-class port. Temperate weather conditions are experienced all year round and no delays are caused by weather. Its world-class infrastructure and equipment ensure reliable and safe cargo handling.
Deep-water anchorage is available inside the harbour, and is protected by the natural bay and by Namport. The port is compliant with the International Ship and Port Facility Security code (ISPS).
In order to deal with even higher levels of throughput, Namport has steadily improved its cargo-handling facilities, and remains committed to infrastructure development, in line with its mission to provide efficient and effective port and related services.
NAUTICAL RECREATION AND MARITIME TOURISM ACTIVITY
Walvis Bay’s maritime tourism activities are an important contributor to the town’s distinctive character. As part of Namport’s planned expansion, a new waterfront and marina development will provide an opportunity for a facelift for the current yacht club and waterfront.
EFFICIENT PORT OPERATIONS
With no delays caused by weather conditions, turnaround times at the Port of Walvis Bay are very competitive: handling times for container vessels are around 12 to 15 hours; for bulk vessels averages between 24 and 48 hours depending on tonnage and shipment; and for break-bulk vessels it average between 18 to 20 hours.
A congestion-free port with minimum delays, the Port of Walvis Bay currently handles 7 million tonnes per annum and its total capacity equips it to handle 8 to 10 million tonnes of cargo.
Currently, the roads and rail transport sub-sectors are upgrading existing roads and rail facilities to support Walvis Bay becoming the gateway port for the SADC Region. These actions will reduce transport time as well as provide alternative transport corridors connecting to our ports.
OUR SERVICES AND INDUSTRIES SERVED
The Port of Walvis Bay handles container imports, exports and transshipments, as well as bulk and break-bulk of various commodities.
Namport serves a wide range of industries such as the petroleum, salt, mining and fishing industries. Both bulk and bagged salt are exported from the Port of Walvis Bay.
The Port of Lüderitz serves the mines in the southern regions of Namibia and north-western South Africa with imports and exports of mining commodities. It is also an important base for the local fishing industry.
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