DURBAN - TRANSNET said yesterday an investigation was under way to find the cause of fires that caused damage to both the Richards Bay and Durban port terminals.
Transnet declared a force majeure after two fires on October 6 and 13 caused extensive damage to the import conveyor route at the Richards Bay terminal. Transnet also revealed in the statement that there had also recently been a fire which caused damage to the grain conveyor route at the Durban terminal.
Ayanda Shezi, general manager for corporate affairs at Transnet SOC Limited, said a board of inquiry was being set up to investigate the cause of the fires. Shezi said no injuries were reported and that ensuring the safety of the area was a priority before operations resumed.
Shezi added that measures were put in place to ensure as little disruption as possible and to ensure repairs were concluded as quickly as possible.
“In Richards Bay, significant progress has been made in restoring operations – five of the seven conveyor belts have been fully restored and are back in operation,” Shezi said.
“With the remainder of the conveyor belts, the Port has deployed manual handling to ensure continuity of operations.”
At the Durban terminal, Shezi said teams were working around the clock to ensure the grain conveyor belt was restored to full operation. “The grain conveyor belt was affected by the fire after it had completed loading a grain vessel.
“The terminal is working around the clock to ensure that the belt is restored and back in operation by the time the next grain vessel arrives at the port on October 26.”
Transnet added that the leadership of the agricultural industry was working with them to provide support for a bumper grain season.
Shezi said that appropriate action would be taken against any employee found responsible for operational negligence.
“Should it be found that any of the incidents were as a result of operational negligence on the part of any Transnet employee, further action will be taken,” she said.
THE MERCURY