Construction company Group Five has won a R1,8-billion contract from Transnet to widen Durban’s harbour by 100m and to increase the depth by six metres, it said on Monday.
Working with Belgian company, Dredging International, Group Five Civil Engineering is responsible for the civil portion of the contract, valued at R1,1-billion.
“We are very pleased with this contract, which was won against international competition. We believe our previous marine civils experience, such as the Moma Jetty in Mozambique and the dry bulk terminal jetty in Richards Bay, played a role in us being the winning bidder,” said Group Five’s managing director of the civil engineering operations, Andrew McJannet.
Group Five’s partner on the project, Dredging International, has dispatched a new, hi-tech dredger from Belgium which is capable of moving 5 000m³ of rock and silt per hour to achieve the seven million cubic metres that will be moved over the next two years.
“This is the third major contract in KwaZulu-Natal awarded to the group since the beginning of 2007. We have already started on the 2010 Durban soccer stadium, in consortium with WBHO and Pandev, and have recently signed the contract for the R6,8-billion King Shaka Airport, in which Group Five is the lead contractor for the Ilembe Consortium which includes WBHO and the KZN Empowerment Group,” said Group Five’s CEO Mike Upton.
Work on the harbour has started, with the demolition of structures on the land and the establishing of a pre-cast concrete yard close to the site where the blocks required for the contract will be cast. The contract is due to be completed in May 2010. ‒ I-Net Bridge