DESPITE 13 companies having bought the tender documents, of which nine attended the site visit, not a single tender was received for the construction of a dry dock in Richards Bay.
Transnet National Ports Authority Chief Executive, Tau Morwe said on Wednesday that ‘despite the vast initial interest expressed by the market’, there was ‘disappointingly’ no response to the Request for Proposal (RFP) by the 25 September closing date.
The ship repair facility is for Cape size vessels and the RFP called for the design, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance and transfer of the facility back to TNPA after 25 years.
‘TNPA is currently establishing why no bids were received and considering the way forward on this project,’ said Morwe.
The latest debacle in the long-running dry dock saga increases frustration in the City of uMhlathuze, with the prospect of huge job creation and economic boost thwarted once again.
After spending R20-million on feasibility studies, the Imbani Consortium was in 2003 given the tender for the construction of a R4.2-billion ship repair facility.
However, this was unilaterally cancelled by then Transnet CEO, Brian Molefe, who said the development would be re-tendered, despite a formal lease agreement having been signed.
And as recently as March this year a memorandum of understanding was signed with Imbani at the Brics conference in Durban, for the construction of a R3.5-billion dry dock and ship repair facility at Richards Bay.
Imbani Holdings are partnered by the Industrial Development Corporation, Public Investment Corporation, EXIM Bank of China, China Harbour Engineering Construction (CHEC) and Group Five.
As many as 12 000 jobs would have been created during the construction phase, with around 7 000 permanent job resulting.
Imbani Projects Director, Ebenezer Moahloli said on Wednesday he was ‘not surprised’ that there were no takers for the RFP.
Asked whether the consortium would be prepared to renegotiate their original tender, Moahloli said this was unlikely but ‘could be discussed with our Chinese partners’.
