Page 50 - Logistics News - Issue 02 - 2024

N E WS

Newlyn’s R3.4bn multimodal rail terminal

launched at Port of Durban

IN AN HISTORIC launch ceremony attended by President Cyril “We have updated limited and ageing infrastructure
Ramaphosa, leading port logistics company Newlyn Group at one of Africa’s busiest ports and have drawn on
unveiled the Newlyn PX Bayhead Rail Terminal, strategically international best practice in modern rail terminal design
located next to the Port of Durban, to open the door to enhanced to accommodate seven block trains of 50 wagons each
intra-Africa and local trade and investment opportunities. simultaneously. The added rail capacity accelerates the
movement of cargo from road to rail, adding immense new
“This is a major milestone for South Africa and showcases opportunities for businesses, local economies and supply
what can be achieved when the private sector and government chains,” says Firdhose Coovadia, Chief Value Officer at
work together for the future of our country and her people,” Newlyn.
declares Newlyn CEO Raj Balmakhun.
The immense potential of the African Continental Free
President Cyril Ramaphosa said at the unveiling that the Trade Area can also be unleashed. “AfCFTA promotes
completion and launch of the Newlyn Park Bayhead Rail industrialisation and diversification of economies by
Terminal project at the Port of Durban is not only a much-needed encouraging the development of regional value chains and
boost to South Africa’s logistics infrastructure network, but is the manufacturing sector. Congested and poorly functioning
also a symbol of recovery and resilience for the city of Durban, ports hold back the immense benefits of intra-African trade,
the eThekwini Metro, KwaZulu-Natal and the country at large. but solutions like ours ensure more trade, more industrial
“Upgrading local port infrastructure is critical to the success of activity and more jobs,” says Coovadia.
the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and this new
terminal will facilitate the swift movement of goods from South The facility already processes some 1,400 truck gate
Africa to the continent and beyond,” he said. movements each day, handles about 380,000 tons of
cargo each month and thus is growing quarter on quarter.
The unveiling follows an initial investment commitment Commodities handled in the terminal include copper, project
of R3.1-billion made by Newlyn following the South African cargoes and equipment, cobalt, paper, fertiliser, renewable
Investment Conference in 2019. The development, currently energy project cargo, zinc and mining reagents.
valued at R3.4-billion, facilitates the movement of sea, rail and
road cargo via a multimodal hub to assist with the handling, The terminal comprises seven separate warehousing
storage, loading and movement of a variety of cargo types, units (PX 1-7), four of which are on long lease to global
including hard and soft commodities in bulk and breakbulk, logistics major C Steinweg Bridge and three of the units to
containerised cargo and project cargo. another global bulk logistics company, Access World. The
land on which the rail terminal has been developed is leased
Prior to this, there was no large-scale rail and road connected from Transnet on long lease. The development comprises
facility of sufficient scale and proximity to the Port of Durban some 640,000m², including 350,486m² under cover and
to manage the high level of flow of cargo by sea, road and rail 267,865m² of yard, rail siding and other infrastructure,
traffic needed to unlock the north and landlocked southern making it one of the largest multimodal rail terminals in the
African trade corridors. southern hemisphere. •

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