Durban harbour’s Prince Edward Graving Dry Dock will shut down for the next two months to allow the completion of R30 million in repair work.
The Transnet National Ports Authority, which owns and operates the 90-year-old dock, said on Wednesday that the dock’s outer caisson would be repaired over the next four months, but the facility would re-open by October.
The work is the third and final phase of a comprehensive repair programme on the steel structure, which had been found to be unsafe and in need of structural repair and general maintenance.
The 35-metre long, 900-ton outer caisson forms a gate at the entrance between the sea water and the dry dock, while a second caisson in the middle divides the dock into two compartments that can accommodate more than one ship.
Durban-based engineering firm Channel Construction was appointed earlier this month to do the work.
Transnet confirmed that no repair bookings had been received for the two months.
The dock’s market includes cargo vessels and the port authority’s own fleet.
Channel Construction would work 24-hour shifts with the majority of the work to be carried out offsite at the contractor’s Bayhead workshop.
Work would include demolition and waste disposal, structural repair, welding, modification and replacement of structural members and plates, design and fabrication certification and commissioning.
The port authority expected the outer caisson repair to be completed in November, and it would be commissioned when there was a vessel scheduled to depart from the dry dock during this month.
Durban Port Manager, Moshe Motlohi, said the outer caisson repair project formed part of the port authority’s programme for the dry dock, which would include a concrete refurbishment programme, replacement of crane rails, replacement of two aged electrical overheard cranes and refurbishment of the inner caisson.
Also included in this programme was the procurement of new Jib cranes, mechanical pump house upgrade, replacement of workshop equipment, installation of a new fire-fighting system and new capstans, replacement of the floating dock and procurement of six compressors
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According to the port authority, the Graving Dock was built between 1920 and 1925.