A 25-year concession confirmed for Cape Town

Liquid Bulk Terminal concession

SOUTH AFRICA: FFS Tank Terminals has been given the greenlight to finance, construct, operate and maintain the liquid bulk terminal in the Port of Cape Town for a period of 25 years following a successful bid for appointment of the terminal which specialises in edible oils and compatible cargo.

As the preferred bidder, the terminal operator agreement will now be finalised for the terminal which services Astron Energy and Burgan Cape Terminals in addition to FFS.

A projected investment of R102 million will include capital and maintenance costs to upgrade storage tanks as well as enhance structural integrity and repurposing the existing import pipeline, which is currently used for vegetable and edible oils.

The investment will further focus on repurposing the Nautilus facility as well as upgrading gantry and receiving systems. Once upgraded, the import pipeline will suitably handle additional new cargo types such as caustic soda lye and monoethylene glycol at the terminal. These improvements are expected to enhance the throughput of vegetable oils and specialty chemicals through the port.

The full extent of the terminal currently includes three sites:

◼︎ Tank Terminal site has a total of 17 storage tanks: six molasses and nine vegetable oil tanks including one slops tank and one HFO storage tank. The gross bulk storage for the molasses is approximately 5,350m³ and vegetable oil is 6,050m³

◼︎ Nautilus Terminal site has six storage tanks: five vegetable oil tanks, and one HFO storage tank. The gross bulk storage for vegetable oil is 10,000m³.

◼︎ A workshop facility with a car park area which is directly opposite the Tank Terminal.

“The modernisation of this liquid bulk terminal is part of TNPA’s strategic shift towards diversification in response to evolving market demands. It ensures the security of supply of industrial and food service supplies whilst meeting new market demands for importation of specialty chemicals. This is a vital contribution to economic stability whilst optimising infrastructure utilisation and commercial viability of our seaports,” said Dr Dineo Mazibuko, TNPA General Manager: Commercial Services.

FFS Tank Terminals (Pty) Ltd is a Level 1 B-BBEE contributor, bringing over two decades of experience in liquid bulk terminal operations. The company operates multiple manufacturing sites, storage facilities and tank farms across the country, and is committed to ongoing investment in local suppliers and skills development initiatives.