Transport News
Transnet approaches market for lease of container corridor
Ports and rail operator Transnet, as part of its partnerships technique, has actually decided to engage the market to invest in and grow Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR’s) containerised freight organization, which services the country’s manufacturing sector. To this end, Transnet will issue an ask for credentials (RFQ) to the market to identify
Gibela calls for applications for 150 university and TVET bursaries for 2023
Train manufacturer the Gibela Rail Consortium is offering 150 bursaries in 2023 in engineering, manufacturing, computer science, supply chain and logistics, and various trade fields at universities and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions. Gibela is calling for applications to be submitted by January 31. The bursaries include full tuition, a book allowance, accommodation and meals. The bursaries are granted for one year and are renewable on a yearly basis based on academic performance.
Nigeria opens ‘game changer’ billion-dollar deep seaport
Nigeria opened a billion-dollar Chinese-built deep seaport in Lagos on Monday, which is anticipated to ease blockage at the country’s ports and help it end up being an African hub for transshipment, handling cargoes in transit for other destinations. President Muhammadu Buhari has actually made building facilities an essential pillar of his federal government’s financial policy, and hopes that this will assist his ruling party win votes during next month’s presidential election.
Cape Town seeks clarity on rail devolvement
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis is calling on President Cyril Ramaphosa to confirm whether government intends scrapping its plans to devolve the operation of passenger rail to local authorities. This follows comments this weekend by ANC economic transformation policy head Mmamoloko Kubayi that devolving rail is no longer a policy option for the ANC, adding that she would “not advise any department to dissolve power or function to the metros”.
Anglo cuts emissions at sea
A recently launched emission-reducing ship has actually packed its very first cargo of iron-ore from Anglo American’s Kumba Iron Ore operations in South Africa. The vessel is the very first of 10 melted natural gas (LNG) dual-fuelled new-build ships that Anglo will present to its chartered fleet during the course of 2023 and 2024, delivering an estimated 35% decrease in co2 emissions compared with ships sustained by conventional marine oil fuel.
Uganda to ask Turkish firm to secure rail deal financing
Uganda will ask Turkish company Yapi Merkezi to secure financing for a $2.2 billion rail link to the Kenyan port of Mombasa and is considering export credit firms as prospective sources, a senior official informed Reuters. The Turkish construction business had actually formerly verified a memorandum of understanding was signed with the Ugandan federal government for a possible offer to construct a 273 km (170 miles) train task linking the capital Kampala to Kenya’s own rail to access the Indian Ocean seaport.
Transnet plans bond sale under $6bn note programme
Transnet, which runs South Africa’s ports and freight rail networks, is preparing to sell a dollar-denominated bond under a $6-billion note programme, people familiar with the circumstance stated. The bond will be of five-year period and financier conferences ahead of the sale will start Thursday, individuals stated, asking not to be recognized due to the fact that the info isn’t public.
Opinion: Better infrastructure can help South Africa escape low growth
In this short article, Royal HaskoningDHV wise mobility director Bongani Mthombeni-Möller discusses the infrastructure obstacles facing South Africa and what can be done to resolve these for the benefit of the nation’s economy.
TFR sets March 20 closing date for tender seeking OEMs to step in to rehabilitate idle locos
Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has actually set a closing date of March 20 for responses to a tender welcoming initial equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to step in to restore more than 160 Chinese-manufactured engines that run out service, owing to the unavailability of vital extra parts. The unavailability of engines has actually affected operation on passages used to export coal, manganese, chrome and magnetite, with the coal corridor having actually been particularly badly impacted with the number of operational engines having dropped by 33%, between the 2017/18 and 2020/21 fiscal years, a collapse that TFR itself refers to as “shocking”.
New drives added to extensive portfolio
Advanced engineering manufacturer Danfoss has successfully added its IC2 and IC7 drives, released in the final quarter of last year, to its existing VLT and VACON range of drives. The drives will be manufactured in China, Finland, Denmark and the US, depending on the configuration of the product, and will then be distributed to the African market through engineering solutions provider BMG’s network.
Mobility solutions highlighted at global event
Global technical devices, drive and braking systems maker Voith provided its solutions for the mobility shift in commercial vehicles at the IAA Transportation Expo held in Hannover, Germany, from September 20 to 25 in 2015. The options consist of Voith Electrical Drive System (VEDS), which are drive ideas efficiently developed for the operation of buses and sturdy trucks, along with its plug and drive H2 storage system, which is a modular overall system for durable industrial lorries with hydrogen drives.
African airline ranks high in the latest list of carriers with the youngest airliner fleets
An African airline has the fifth youngest fleet of airplane on the planet, air travel database and news company ch-aviation has actually reported, in its “World’s Youngest Aircraft Fleet 2023” award report, released on Tuesday. The report uses data that was valid on December 31 in 2015. Any operators with fewer than five airplane were excluded from the study. VIP-configured airplane were also left out from the survey. The African carrier is Uganda Airlines, whose airliners have a typical age of 3.01 years. The airline with the youngest fleet on the planet, therefore the winner of ch-aviation’s World’s Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award 2023, is Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines, with an average aircraft age of just 1.22 years. The other 3 airline companies in the top five are Saudi Arabian carrier flyadeal (second, with an average airplane age of 2.56 years), Canada’s Lynx Air (third, 2.9 years), and Chile’s SKY Airline (4th, 2.94 years).
Manufacturing begins on City of Johannesburg’s Red Fleet Manufacturing begins on City of Johannesburg’s Red Fleet
The City of Johannesburg this month launched manufacturing of the city’s specialised fire engines, or ‘Red Fleet’, at Marcé Fire Fighting Technology, in Centurion, with the signing of a contract finalised. Tasneem Bulbulia tells us more.
Air traffic control in Somali airspace has been restored, after a 30-year gap
The airspace over and around Somalia was reclassified as Class A at one minute past midnight on Thursday early morning. This marked the functional repair of air traffic control (ATC) services in Somalia and the surrounding airspace over the Indian Ocean– officially called the Mogadishu Flight Information Region (FIR)– for the first time in 30 years. Busy airways linking Africa south of Ethiopia to the Middle East and South Asia, and linking Europe with South Asia and the Indian Ocean islands, travel through the Mogadishu FIR. This development has been welcomed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which is the representative body of the international airline company market.
Port of Maputo achieves new handling record, sees soaring chrome throughput
The Port of Maputo achieved a new handling record in 2022, registering development of 20% over 2021. The overall volume handled in 2015 was 26.7-million lots, compared with 22.2-million tons in 2021..
Aviation group urges African airlines to consider the option of ‘wet-leasing’ aircraft
Major international aviation wet-leasing and charter services company Avion Express has highlighted the potential benefits to African airlines, recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, of employing the option of wet-leasing airliners. Wet-leasing, more formally called aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) provision, involves leasing an airliner, plus both flight and cabin crew, with the lessor also responsible for maintenance and paying insurance. The lessee airline is responsible for …
Ethiopian Max crash report made false claims on plane, US says
Ethiopian investigators’ report into the Boeing 737 Max crash outside Addis Ababa in 2019 incorrectly declared the jetliner had an electrical failure, the US government said, in an extremely uncommon public counterclaim of the nation’s findings about the deadly accident. The US National Transportation Safety Board accused the Ethiopian Accident Investigation Bureau of making claims “unsupported by evidence” in conclusions belatedly released late in 2015.
Blasting to be done on N3 Camperdown overpass on Feb 8
Blasting will be carried out near the Camperdown Overpass Bridge to remove rock outcrops on February 8 at 15:00. This forms part of the ongoing N3 upgrades from Cato Ridge interchange to Dardanelles, the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) states. “Rock outcrops need to be gotten rid of through blasting to prepare for the building and construction of the stormwater system, as well as the pavement layers. Rolling closures will be utilized on the N3 in both instructions in between Umlaas road interchange and Cato Ridge interchange to minimise the delay of the traffic on the N3 during blasting,” says Sanral Eastern Region task supervisor Mohamed Parak.
Airlink to resume Madagascar flights
Southern African airline company Airlink prepares to reboot scheduled services between South Africa and Madagascar from January 30 following a practically 3 year suspension. The Johannesburg to Antananarivo service will reboot with a single weekly flight at 10:00 on Mondays, increasing to three flights weekly from February 14, with the same schedule being implemented on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.
IATA announces latest updates to its air transport industry manuals
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that it has finished its yearly revision of its manuals for operations, ground handling and cargo in the air transport sector. IATA is the global representative body for the airline industry. The updating of the manuals displayed, the association noted, the sector’s determination to further improve safety, adopt more sustainable operations, enhance cargo handling, and enhance the experience of airline passengers. “Aviation is a unique industry with its global footprint covering operations from mega-hubs, through regional airports to small and even remote airfields,” pointed out IATA senior VP for Commercial Products and Services Frederic Leger. “Nevertheless, the same standards and procedures need to be applied across the globe, in order to maintain smooth operations and a high level of safety. The IATA manuals are the reference materials, accurately reflecting agreed global standards, which the industry abides by.”