Port of Walvis Bay

The Port of Walvis Bay is a natural gateway for international trade to and from the SADC region to Europe, the Americas and the Far East. Namport’sstrategic goal is to consolidate the Port of Walvis Bay as a regional gatewayas well, serving as a reliable and efficient interface for imports and exportswithin SADC, and to and from the west coast of Africa and other sub-SaharanAfrican countries. Through the Walvis Bay Corridors, the infrastructure andlocation of the Port make it suitable to serve SADC import- and exportboundsea-borne cargo. As such, the Port provides a cost-effective alternativeto those in South Africa, which operate at maximum capacity and whoseturnaround times on cargo handling are dependent on weather conditions.

The Port of Walvis Bay is one of Africa’s most efficient and best equipped,with the capacity to handle more than 8 million tonnes of cargo. The Portis linked to Namibia’s air, rail, and road network, making it ideally placedto service landlocked countries in southern Africa, especially through thearteries of the Walvis Bay Corridor Group.

The harbour consists of two sections: the commercial harbour, which is
managed by Namport, and the fishing harbour, which is owned by the fishing
industry. The commercial harbour offers a range of terminal facilities that
can handle bulk, containerised, frozen and dry cargo.

Key benefits of using the Port of Walvis Bay:

• the Port of Walvis Bay is strategically located halfway down the Namibian coast, with direct access to principal shipping routes
• the Port is the regional hub for central and southern Africa
• the Port is secure, congestion-free, efficient and of world-class standard
• turnaround times for offloading vessels vary from 12 to 15 hours forcontainer vessels; 24 to 48 hours for bulk vessels, depending on tonnage and shipment; and between 18 and 20 hours for break-bulk vessels
• the Port boasts developed-world infrastructure and equipment, enablingthe safe and reliable handling of cargo
• maximum security measures and procedures are in place, including closed-circuit TV
• the Port is International Ship and Port Facility Security Code compliant
• there are no delays because of weather conditions as the Port experiences temperate weather throughout the year
• the Port offers a thriving Syncrolift ship facility
• to these facilities, Namport has added a floating dry dock that can lift vessels up to 150 m in length with a 25 m beam and displacing 8,500 metric tonnes, and
• Namport continuously develops and improves its equipment and services.