Accommodation near Durban Harbour - 6

Durban Harbour was established by European settlers in 1824 and became a functioning cargo port after the appointment of the first harbour master in the late 1830s. Since then it has grown twofold and is now Africa’s largest shipping terminal.

Durban Harbour is located to the north-east of the Cape Agulhas and occupies the natural expanse of Durban Bay.

The port’s strategic position along numerous international shipping routes means that it is a hive of activity, visited by 4500 commercial ships annually. Additionally, an impressive 34-million tonnes of cargo is offloaded each year.

The 21-kilometer port has 59 in-use berths, some of which are in the process of being lengthened and deepened. The reason for doing so is because the current berths are unable to cater for larger, modern ships.

The harbour has served numerous purposes over the years, more notably a base for the PBY Catalina flying boat during World War Two. Salisbury Island, an island connected to the port by a causeway, functioned as a naval base from the 1930’s until 2002. The naval base has since been downgraded and is now a naval station that is visited by warships from foreign and South African navies. However, proposals have been made to revert it to a base.

A recent development is the Durban Car Terminal – a world-class facility that handles 6500 vehicles per year. The terminal has a 480-metre bridge, which connects the facility to the quayside, and a parking bay.

Visitors can take a cruise of the harbour aboard the commercial liner, Allen Gardiner Harbour Cruise. Passengers will be treated to a fine dining experience while slowly travelling along the perimeter of the port. The liner holds a capacity of 45 passengers who are accommodated on the deck and in the dining saloon.

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