Port of Ngqura maintains only ‘green port’ status in South Africa
State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) says its Port of Ngqura, in Port Elizabeth, has been the only port with green status in South Africa and it maintains this status through a number of measures.
These measures include unique biodiversity conservation programmes.
The Port Environmental Authorisation, which requires bi-annual audits by independent environmental control officers, has bestowed the port with high levels of compliance of above 90%, to date.
Among the port’s environmental conservation measures are poison-free methods and natural predators to manage and control the rodent population in the port. For example, owls have been deployed in strategic areas around the port and rodent bait stations are filled with nonpoisonous bait, such as sunflower seeds, to trap rodents.
TNPA preserves the most sensitive and threatened South African vegetation types found in the port, such as Bontveld and Messic Succulent Thicket, which provide habitat for a number of endemic species.
Further, TNPA has undertaken fish monitoring since before the port’s construction. This is conducted by a team of researchers under the Bayworld Centre for Research and Education. The research is complemented by a tag and release programme.
The research is aimed at investigating the composition and abundance of fish, with the most recent results indicating that the port is serving as a nursery for fish and gully sharks.
TNPA undertakes a search and rescue exercise for animals and plants before any construction takes place. For example, before building TNPA’s admin craft basin, the port had to relocate a number of endemic pigmy hairy footed gerbils to ensure they were not negatively impacted on by the construction.
Other environmental initiatives that promote sustainable development in the port include rainwater harvesting for ablution purposes and marine mammal monitoring programmes.
Comments
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation