Namport syncrolift back to full capacity

AFTER three years of repair and maintenance work, Namport’s syncrolift at Walvis Bay was officially reopened to full capacity yesterday.

The syncrolift, which is a huge mechanical device that lifts vessels up to 2 000 tonnes out of the ocean onto a land rail, which is then moved into a shipyard for repair and maintenance, was first commissioned in 1973. Although it has been serviced on a few occasions, some components have in the latest refurbishing project been attended to for the first time since the lift’s construction nearly 40 years ago.

The latest project started off as emergency work when one of the steel girdles were damaged after a wire rope snapped when a vessel was lifted, nearly causing the vessels to fall back into the sea.

Emergency work led to the closing of the syncrolift for a while, but then it reopened to a lesser capacity as it was found that more renovation work was necessary to ensure the syncrolift’s maximum output, said Namport port engineer Elzevir Gelderbloem at Walvis Bay yesterday during a short ‘reopening’ ceremony.

The entire project was done by Namibian companies Kraatz Marine and Raylin for a total cost of about N$10 million.

“Namport have full appreciation for the importance of the syncrolift for the industry and community of Walvis Bay, and for the country at large. We will not allow this facility to be closed down or fall into disrepair, and we will continue to maintain it and to repair it where incidents occur. The money we spent annually over the last few years on concrete rehabilitation and the steel repairs runs into millions every year. This proves our commitment to this facility,” said Gelderbloem.

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