The Transnet National Ports Authority (PTPA) and Freeport Saldanha signed a 25-year lease covering 55 hectares in the port of Saldanha. The project plans to facilitate industrial investment estimated at R6.9 billion, including maritime services, manufacturing and energy infrastructure.

Signed on 8 October 2026, the agreement concerns an area of approximately 55 hectares in the southern part of the port of Saldanha, on the west coast of South Africa. It must provide investors with long-term visibility on access to land and port facilities.

This agreement follows the conclusion of a framework defining the commercial conditions between the two entities. It is part of the development of the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Saldanha Bay, presented as the only special economic zone in a port in South Africa.

According to both partners, the investment portfolio envisaged by Freeport Saldanha is approximately R6.9 billion, or nearly $370 million.

The projects under study cover several activities, including maritime services and bunkering, industrial development, manufacturing and energy infrastructure.

These include import and storage capacity for liquefied natural gas (LNG). However, investment remains under consideration: the land agreement does not mean that all projects have already been financed or committed.

For Freeport Saldanha, the lease is intended to offer investors a combination of industrial land and access to port facilities facilitated by the NPTA.

Its Managing Director, Xola Sithole, stated that the objective was to convert the proposed projects into settlement contracts, construction sites and jobs in Saldanha Bay and on the west coast.

For his part, the Director General of the NPTA, Mohammed Abdool, stressed the importance of better coordination of port and industrial activities in order to support exports and supply chain activities.

The agreement also forms part of the strategy « Reinvent for Growth » Transnet, which aims in particular to improve port efficiency, optimize the use of infrastructures and attract investment.

The NPTA, which manages eight South African commercial ports, intends to strengthen the capacity of the port of Saldanha and encourage the development of industrial activities related to maritime trade. The effects on freight traffic, exports and employment will depend on the implementation of the announced projects.