Coal terminal raises the stakes
RBCT 'rocksteady' despite world coal surplus.
WHILE economists forecast more gloom for the coal industry, the Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) remains confident its import and export figures will rise this year.
At a stakeholder meeting yesterday, management declared it has set an upbeat target of 74 million tons (mt) for this year – an increase on last year’s 73mt – regardless of the current global coal glut.
RBCT missed its 2014 benchmark by a hair’s breadth, importing 72.4mt and exporting 71.3mt of coal.
‘We managed 97.65% of the export target despite the tough challenges we faced last year,’ said RBCT Board Chairman Mike Teke.
Teke referred to a power outage in February that shut down the world’s largest coal export terminal for 10 days and an Engen oil spill in April which led to black slick coating the undersides of vessels docked at the terminal and other berths at the port.
RBCT CEO Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane confidently stated, ‘This will be the year of performance’.
‘We see continuous improvement in the supply chain.
‘With focus on efficiency, we will not cut costs on our infrastructure or park equipment and we have made provisions to keep operations running should a power crisis hit.’
Company trends also paint a positive picture, showing exports have steadily climbed from 61mt in 2009 to last year’s 71.3mt, and year-on-year figures increasing by 15% from 70.2mt in 2013.
RBCT last year exported product to 41 countries – 47% of the total shipped to India; 20% to China; 25% to Europe and 6,5% to Africa.
‘We expect Asia to remain our biggest customer,’ Siwisa-Damasane said.
Partnership pays
Both RBCT and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) agreed their strong private-public partnership have reaped visible rewards.
‘TFR has definitely boosted consistency and productivity at the terminal,’ said Siwisa-Damansane.
TFR Chief Operating Officer (COO) Mlamuli Buthelezi said they share common goals.
‘We cannot win if RBCT does not win.
‘When it filters down to Exco (executive council) levels, we have the same objectives,’ Buthelezi said.
