Civil Engineering September 2022 | Vol 30 No 8

Civil Engineering September 2022 51 Port of Saldanha is SFF. They operate all liquid bulk products to and from Saldanha Bay. The facility was commissioned in June 2017. Avedia LPG terminal and pipeline (private) The Avedia Import Terminal is located outside port limits on private ground purchased by Avedia. The facility has been designed for the import of LPG for distribution inland. After the Ports Regulator discovered where cargo was loaded on the quay in the Port of Saldanha it was determined that the procedure was hazardous to surrounding activities. The Ports Regulator recorded that this quay loading activity must cease and that Avedia must tee into the Sunrise supply pipeline. This pipeline is in the construction phase. SFF-Astron refinery pipeline (part private) A 107 km long, 16-inch pipeline links the SFF oil storage facilities in Saldanha Bay with the Astron refinery at Milnerton in Cape Town and conveys the refinery’s crude oil requirements. Although Astron imports crude oil independently of SFF’s operations, the refinery is currently dependent on access to the Saldanha oil terminal and to SFF’s oil storage infra- structure for most of its oil supply. CAPE TOWN ONSHORE Astron Refinery to Cape Town Port pipelines (private) Pipelines, owned and operated by Astron, exist between the refinery, various com- pany terminals and storage facilities, and the Cape Town harbour. These include a 26-inch, 13 km crude pipeline, a 10-inch heavy fuel oil line, and a 12-inch, 13 km multi-product (white oil) pipeline (bi- directional). These pipelines connect to terminal operators and storage facilities in Cape Town Port. Astron refinery pipeline effluent outfall into the sea (private) In 1994 Caltex (now Astron) installed an effluent and hydrocarbon pipeline from the refinery 520 m into the sea in Milnerton. This pipeline still operates and tighter waste management condi- tions have been placed on Astron by the Department of Water and Sanitation as a result of complaints by local communities who participate in recreation activities at sea. Figure 3 Pipeline route to the Sunrise Energy LPG Import Terminal Figure 4 Route of the Avedia pipeline from Sunrise Energy Figure 5 Continuous welding and coating of pipe strings for Mossel Bay’s offshore pipeline