Richards Bay Port – Bidding has begun for Dry Port Terminal
- Feb 25
- 2 min read
By: Dylan Naidoo
Transnet recently announced that the dry bulk terminal at the Richards Bay port is up for bidding. The news was shared via a press release on 20 February, detailing the selection process for a Private Sector Participation (PSP) of the Richards Bay Dry Bulk Terminal (RBDBT). The bid is not for complete ownership, however, as Transnet will still retain 51% ownership of the port. Instead, the private sector buyers will operate and manage the terminal, whilst Transnet will operate as an observer over the operations.
The RBDBT is already a critical exporter for many bulk commodities in South Africa, such as chrome and magnetite. Transnet states that PSP allows Transnet to leverage the expertise of a private sector company to improve the efficiency and reliability of the terminal, whilst also gaining oversight into operations. Transnet further claims that the project also provides opportunities in “supplier development, local participation and community upliftment, particularly within the Richards Bay region.”
Terence Creamer from Creamer Media’s Engineering News provided further context to the dry bulk terminal, stating the terminal can handle up to 16.7-million tons of dry bulk per year. However, Transnet’s decision to transition to private control of operations is to potentially increase export production to 26.9 million tons. These improvements are attractive to investors, as once private sector participation is underway, improvements in infrastructure could benefit Transnet profit-wise.
Private entities part of the Request for Qualification (RFQ) are required to demonstrate technical abilities and financial capacity in compliance to Transnet’s requirements. They are also required to drive community upliftment with this project. Once companies meet the criteria, they “may be invited to participate in a subsequent Request for Proposal (RFP) phase.”
Closing date for the bidding is expected to be 31 August,
The full press release statement can be viewed here, under February 2026.”
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