Transnet National Ports Authority has issued a formal invitation for private sector participation in the operation of a liquid bulk terminal at the Port of Cape Town, as the state ports authority moves to attract investment to a strategically significant facility through a long-term concession.
The Request for Proposals calls for the appointment of an operator to finance, operate, maintain, refurbish and potentially construct a liquid bulk terminal at the port for a period of 25 years. The development is classified as a brownfield site, comprising a tank farm with eight storage tanks offering a combined storage capacity of approximately 44,430 cubic metres, along with an adjacent warehouse and administration building. The facility interfaces with common-user berths at Tanker Basin 1 and Tanker Basin 2, supporting both local refinery supply and the importation of bunkering products.
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Acting Port Manager Ophelia Shabane said the Port of Cape Town was strategically positioned to support multiple liquid bulk operations, and that the RFP was underpinned by demonstrable market demand. She said TNPA aimed to attract a capable operator that could deliver operational efficiency, ensure continuity of services, and modernise existing infrastructure while strengthening bunkering capabilities and contributing to regional fuel supply.
The concession model reflects a broader shift in South African ports policy towards private sector participation, a strategy that has gained urgency given the well-documented constraints on Transnet’s balance sheet. The state-owned logistics company has faced significant financial pressure, and the government has increasingly turned to concessioning arrangements to improve port and rail performance without requiring direct capital expenditure from the state.
TNPA manages eight commercial seaports across South Africa — Richards Bay, Durban, Saldanha, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Mossel Bay and Ngqura — in a landlord capacity, providing port infrastructure and marine services. Cape Town handles a diverse range of cargo and is a critical node for the Western Cape’s agricultural export economy as well as the bunkering and fuel distribution networks serving vessels rounding the Cape.
RFP documents are accessible through the National Treasury’s e-tender portal and the Transnet website. The process marks one of the more substantive private sector participation moves at the Port of Cape Town in recent years, and is likely to attract interest from regional energy logistics operators and international terminal specialists.