By James Hall
DURBAN, South Africa, Sep 27 2002 (IPS)

Southern Africa’s ocean ports, which bristle along the Atlantic and Indian Oceans at those nations fortunate enough to be located beside the sea, are commercial lifelines that will play an increasingly important role in developmental and poverty alleviation efforts.

Just as dependent on these ports are landlocked African nations, which use railways and highways to transport exports and bring in consumer and other goods from seaports.

But as was witnessed with a particularly devastating break-up of an oil freighter off the South African coast this week, a fragile coastal environment sometimes still bears the cost of economic progress.

ôNo right-thinking 21st century nation is willing to sacrifice the environment for commerce,” says environmental activist Maurice Mbeki of Green Cross South Africa. ôSouth Africa has the continent’s best-developed economy, but is also one of the most environmentally aware of nations.”

Environment means profit in a part of the world that benefits hugely from tourism revenue. Surrounded by oceans on three sides, South Africa is engaged in a balancing act between a need to expand already bustling port facilities at Durban, Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and other locations, and preserving a diverse and famously beautiful seacoast.

There is no doubt that the ports must be upgraded, particularly on the Indian Ocean. Durban is not far from Maputo, Mozambique, where exports once flowed out to the world, which in turn brought goods in through the former Portuguese colony. Over two decades of civil war not only cut down on shipping use at the capital city, but also prevented needed dredging and other improvements.

But an ambitious upgrade is underway. When completed, businesses that now use Durban harbour will shift to Maputo if that facility proves closer via improved rail and road links. Even South African companies will cross over to Mozambique, whose ties with South Africa are being strengthened through a multi-faceted Lubombo Spatial Development Initiative, named after the countries’ shared Lubombo mountain range.

South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism has commissioned four vessels to be constructed at shipyards in South Africa and The Netherlands, and the ships will be used for fishery and environmental protection.

ôThe fishing business falls under the portfolio of the department of commerce,” an environmental affairs department source told IPS. ôBut preservation of fish habitats û all fish, not just the commercial variety that are harvested û is our affair. It is a good example of commerce and environmental interests working hand in hand. We believe this is the way it should be, and will increasingly be in future.”

Patrolling around ocean ports and all seacoast areas in between will be three 47 metre-long inshore vessels, to be constructed by Farocean Marine, and a large 80-metre offshore vessel to be built by the Dutch firm Damen Shipyards.

Each of the so-called inshore vessels is small enough to safeguard coastal nooks and crannies, but can handle assignments up to 200 nautical miles offshore. Each ship will have a complement of 13 crewmembers and officers, and two fishery inspectors. With a top speed of 20 knots, the ships can remain at sea for two weeks, and have a cruising range of 3,500 nautical miles.

ôThe ships will be tasked with data collection and protection duties related to fishery areas and environmentally sensitive areas,” said the department of environmental affairs in a statement.

The ships also will be equipped to handle oil spills, which are the bane of the nation’s coastline, and if need be can fight fires, tow other ships, and perform search and rescue operations.

Twenty-two crewmembers will operate the larger ôoffshore” ship built by the Dutch. Seven fishery inspectors will go along on trips that may range 7,500 nautical miles. Capable of the same top speed as the smaller patrol craft, 20 knots, the ship can stay out at sea for three times longer, or a month and a half.

Such hardware is the envy of Mozambique, South Africa’s neighbouring country with its 1,500 kilometres of seacoast requiring vigilant monitoring. The country is enjoying an economic revival, with one of the highest rates of gross domestic product (GDP) growth in Africa, but is just now seriously targeting its tourism sector for expansion.

Key to luring foreign visitors are the spectacular Indian Ocean coral reefs of the Nampula, Zambezia and Sofala Provinces. Beira, the provincial capital of Sofala, is also the country’s second largest port. Renovations of a rail line inland from the port will reopen an important commercial shipping route to Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). When the work is concluded next year, ocean shipping from Beira is expected to double. But environmentalists say efforts must be taken to ensure the coastline and fragile coral ecosystem are not affected.

Further south, environmentalists were not happy with the Mozambican government’s decision to build a new 520-million-U.S.-dollar deep-water harbour. The fact that the new port at Dobela is only 100 km south of Maputo harbour, and close to Durban harbour, shows how convinced officials are that ocean freight traffic will increase in the sub-continent. Dobela is only 20 km north of the tourist resort Ponta do Ouro, whose appeal may change if the area undergoes industrialisation.

But the larger picture of Southern Africa’s coastal development suggests that the old expression ôYou can’t stop progress,” has been modified by government awareness, prodded by the tourism industry and environmental groups, that coastal industrial growth must be balanced by protection and preservation.

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