Cape Town Docks
Two years after his arrival at the Cape Jan Van Riebeek had a small jetty built in the relatively safe bay, now known as Table Bay. This was part of his mandate to establish the refreshment station for the ships traveling from Europe to the East. This serviced ships for many years.
The year 1858 saw some terrible weather and more than 30 ships were damaged in the harbour. Consequently, the insurance company Lloyds refused to cover ships that overwintered in Table Bay.
In 1860 Prince Alfred 2nd son of Queen Victoria ceremoniously tipped the first load of stone to begin the construction of the breakwater. This was to create a harbour that would be safe for ships year-round. The breakwater was designed to protect it from the prevailing swell. The basin was dug out of rock and the rock was then used to construct the breakwater. This took 10 years to complete.
Docks early 1900s Docks pre foreshore reclamation
As the harbour became busier the dock became too small and had to be extended so the Victoria Basin was constructed adding 10 berths. During WW2 the basin was extended further, this work was begun in 1938 and was completed in 1945. This section was called Duncan Dock. It consists of 4 berths. Part of this construction included the reclamation of large areas formerly underwater. This area is the Foreshore area of Cape Town. The dock extension included a drydock (Sturrock Drydock) that could accommodate the world’s largest ships at the time. Robinson Dock
Cape Town Docks in the 40s
Cape Town Docks in the 60s
The old Pier that was built in 1910 at the bottom of Heerengracht was a highlight of cultural and social life in Cape Town. It was open to all races. Concerts were held in the small pavilion. Ballet, contemporary, and classical music shows were popular. It was demolished in 1939 as the boundaries of the current foreshore were pushed further out to sea.
In 2007, the Container Terminal, Ben Schoeman terminal, was upgraded. This involved extending and strengthening the concrete surface to allow containers to be stacked higher, therefore increasing the number of containers that could be stacked in the terminal. The Container Basin had to be dredged to enable deeper-draughted ships to berth
Cape Town docks are placed on one of the world’s busiest trade routes. It is one of the busiest ports in South Africa, handling the largest amount of fresh fruit. It is second only to Durban as a container port. The port also has significant repair and maintenance facilities that are used by large fishing fleets. many cruise ships also berth in the port of Cape Town as it is a popular tourist destination.
The port of Cape Town remains open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The depth at the entrance channel is -15.9m Chart datum, is -15.4m at the 180m wide entrance into Duncan Dock, and -14m at the entrance to Ben Schoeman Dock.
The Turnaround time (average duration of the vessels staying docked in this terminal) is 3.9 days.
GPS: S 33 54.772 (Latitude) E 18 26.123 (Longitude)
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