Namport e-Newsletter

July 2020

NSIF aids in uplifting the dignity of the Twaloloka community and donates N$1 million towards the purchase of medical requirements

Namibian Ports Authority provides safe, clean and hygienic ablution facilities to a local community and donates N$1 million towards medical requirements

The Namibian Ports Authority through its Social Investment Fund earlier today donated a 20-foot container which was converted into ablution facilities to the Twaloloka settlement in Kuisebmond, Walvis Bay. The donation is a replacement of mobile toilets which the entity had donated at the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak earlier this year in March. The newly setup structure boasts of 6 toilets with handwashing basins costing the Ports Authority N$100,000.00 totaling to an amount of N$360,000.00 spend on the community.  

Speaking at the handover, His Worship Immanuel Wilfred, Mayor of Walvis Bay not only thanked the Namibian Ports Authority for their generosity but also thanked the Municipality of Walvis Bay for providing water connectivity for the ablution facilities.

At the same handover, the Namibian Ports Authority also donated a cheque of N$1million towards the supply and fitment of oxygen and other urgent medical requirements to the Covid-19 facilities in Walvis Bay and to the greater Erongo region.

Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Namport Social Investment Fund, Mr. Kavin Harry said that “it was through continuous engagements with the Ministry of Health and Social Services and other important stakeholders such as the office of the Regional Governor for the Erongo Region, the Municipality of Walvis Bay and the Erongo Community Care Initiative amongst others that this donation is being made with the aim jointly confront and alleviate the burden from this pandemic”.

The Erongo region has become the epicenter of the Covid-19 outbreak with most positive cases being recorded in Walvis Bay. This has placed pressure on the health fraternity and it is only with the cooperation of key role players such as Namport that we can address the need that is facing us, said the Honourable Governor of the Erongo region, Hon Neville Andre at the handover at the event. 

42 000 tons of Sulphur offloaded at the Port of Walvis Bay 

The Namibian Ports Authority has yet again added to its historic pages as the Yi Long Shan Vessel docked at the Port of Walvis Bay earlier this month on her maiden visit from the Port of UST-LUGA, Russia. 

While on its maiden call, the vessel offloaded a record-breaking of forty-two thousand (42,000) tons of Sulphur (destined for Swakop Uranium.) Namport’s unrivaled skilled and experienced workforce worked hard during the operation while providing unmatched customer experience during her time spend alongside berth number three (3).

The completion and commissioning of the New Container Terminal at Namibia’s Gateway for international trade to and from the SADC region give impetus on the port’s ability to service more and larger international vessels, and the Yi Long Shan Vessel is a magnificent testimony to the importance of Namibia - Europe Trade Corridor.

In the past, the highest Sulphur to be offloaded at the Port of Walvis Bay was 30,000 tons.

At Namport we remain grateful to the deep-rooted relations with all our clients and stakeholders, and this great milestone is an indication of that.

Pupils from Primary schools in Lüderitz, Hardap region
equipped with safety gear by the
Namport Social Investment Fund (NSIF)

In assisting the government to ready leaners across the country for a safe return of face to face teaching within the permitted guidelines, Namport, through its Social Investment Fund, recently donated safety items to more than 1300 Grade, 0-3 pupils, from the Helene Van Rhijn, Diaz Primary School and Nautilus Primary School in the town of Lüderitz.

The items valued at N$54,000.00 consisted of face shields, sanitizers and trigger gun bottles which are a requirement for schools to have in place before learners can resume classes. The new requirements are in direct response to ensuring that schools comply with the COVID-19 safety measures.

The donation was handed over to Her Worship, Brigitte Fredericks, Mayor of Lüderitz with the receiving school represented by their respective principals.  

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak in March this year, Namport has joined hands with the government by spending over N$1,5 million towards the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. These donations ranged from ablution facilities for the Twaloloka Informal Settlement community in Kuisebmond, Walvis Bay, medical equipment and supplies to the COVID-19 Isolation Facility at the Walvis Bay State Hospital, hand sanitizers, and high-risk gloves, plus 240 branded water bottles to the

Namibian Police at Walvis Bay. In the same disposition, Namport made a monetary donation to the Walvis Bay Corridor Group Wellness team to purchase gloves and thermal guns which would be used at border posts against the fight of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The entity also donated a mobile office to the security cluster in the Erongo Region for the Walvis Bay COVID-19 checkpoint, a monetary donation to the Ministry of Health and Social Services for purchasing much needed medical equipment as well as a donation towards the Keetmanshoop Police in the ||Karas region. Namport along with other stakeholders also played a leading role in the setting up of the Temporary Truck port Isolation facility in Walvis Bay, which has been in operation since May 2020.

The Namport Social Investment is founded on the premise of the following four focus areas; namely Entrepreneurial and Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Development, Health, Education and Environment and it is through these focus areas that Namport’s footprints have been felt through the country during its 13 years of existence.

Namport Celebrates the first anniversary of the
New Container Terminal

Dear Colleagues and esteemed Industry Partners,

The New Container Terminal (NCT) at the Port of Walvis Bay will on the 24^th August 2020 celebrate exactly 365 days of operations since its commissioning last year.

As a Port we have made tremendous progress over the past 11 months, transforming a small container terminal into the largest container terminal facility in the Republic of Namibia, capable of handling container ships with more than 12 meters of draft. I can proudly say that we are now at the forefront of applying leading technologies in container terminal operations within the SADC Region.

Our mission remains to provide world-class port services to all seaborne trade by offering excellent customer service, creating sustainable growth, and promoting social responsibility, dedicated to the transformation of Namibia into a global logistics hub. Therefore, we have continued to invest in expanding and upgrading container handling capacity and capabilities to meet the operational needs and demands of our valued industry partners.

As we are about to celebrate the 1^st anniversary of operations at the NCT, we are equally reminded of the ongoing realities of the affecting the world such at the Global Economic Downturn but more so the Novel Corona Virus (Covid-19) that has crippled world economies is less than 12 months since the first cases of infections were reported in November last year. The President of the Republic of Namibia this year in March declared the National State of Emergency due to this global pandemic with stringent lockdown measured on the Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, and Arandis local authorities. And as a result of these national directives, we will therefore not engage in our traditional manner of celebrating historic milestones of this nature.

I wish to, therefore, pose for a moment to pay homage to particular milestones achieved during the period under review, and this would not have been possible without the relentless efforts of our supporting staff and dedicated industry partners:

• To date, a total number of 281 staff members have been deployed to the New Container Terminal and more are yet to assigned to this facility within the immediate future;
• Thirty-three (33) STS crane operators have undergone intense training on how to effectively and efficiently operate these cranes, and we are proud of the productivity reports from STS operations;
• The NCT has recorded a throughput of 115,146 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEU) in just eight months of operations, and we optimistically anticipate an upward growth trajectory even amidst the earlier alluded to ongoing global activities; 
• Berth number nine (9) since the commissioning of the NCT has welcomed ten (10) passenger liners, adversely translating into more than 5000 international tourists visiting the Port city of Walvis Bay, and
• I am also very proud to announce that the Namport has achieved a phenomenal record-breaking 46 berth moves per hour on vessel MAERSK LUNZ on 30^th March 2020 etc.

All this was made possible by an exemplary spirit of partnership between our Shareholders, Stakeholders, and the effort, dedication, and teamwork of our management team, workforce, and operators working harmoniously together, to all of whom I am greatly thankful.

To all our industry partners and shipping line customers, I wish to express our sincere thanks and appreciation for their staunch support and patronage over the years and particularly during this period.

At Namport, we will continue to work closely with all our stakeholders as we strive to better ourselves in the face of multiple challenges.

Wishing us all a Happy 1^st Anniversary of operations at the new Container Terminal. So as we celebrate this great milestone, do take extremely good care of yourselves and your families.

Stay healthy, stay safe and God Bless

Best regards,

WHO COVID-19 Advice