The Port of Cape Town’s new fuel storage facility is now fully operational, having received its pilot consignment of diesel in the first week of July 2017 and was tested ahead of full operation this month.

Located on approximately 37 273 square meters of land at the port’s Eastern Mole, the new fuel storage and distribution facility for cleaner fuels is poised to assist with security of fuel supply in the region.

Construction began in late 2015 after Transnet National Ports Authority awarded Burgan Cape Terminals a 24-year lease to develop a new independent fuel storage, distribution and loading facility. The company, which will operate the terminal, is owned by Netherlands firm VTTI and black economic empowerment companies Thebe Investment Corporation and Jicaro.

“With an estimated investment of R 890 million, the awarding of this contract to a 30% black owned company in partnership with an international operator, speaks strongly to Transnet’s commitment to the Market Demand Strategy (MDS) and the vision of the Operation Phakisa programme of creating capacity ahead of demand and unlocking South Africa’s ocean economy,” says Cape Town Port Manager Mpumi Dweba-Kwetana.

Boasting a total capacity of 121 908 m³ from 12 tanks, the terminal’s product portfolio includes diesel, petrol, FAME (fatty acid methyl esters) and ethanol for blending and jet fuel.

The South African government has included the Burgan Cape Terminal as a strategic project under Operation Phakisa. The terminal has accelerated transformation of the sector with its inclusion of emerging black-owned, independent fuel suppliers and contributes to energy as one of the key commodities in driving economic growth.