National ports authority media relations manager Donald Kau said port dredging started on Tuesday and the container quay was almost halfway complete.

The western breakwater was stretching 950 metres into the sea, with now only 350 metres to go. This work was stopped briefly to allow for reclamation to catch up, and also to prepare the caisson beds, he said.

The eastern breakwater was about 1,200 metres long, with 1,400 metres left for it to be completed. Kau said the dry bulk berth was nearing completion.

Two of the five caissons had been completed, he said. The main pump station for the sand bypass was nearly finished. Kau said a temporary sand platform for the construction of the jetty was taking some time.

Of the 26,000 dolosses needed, 9,000 had been cast with 6,000 already in the water, he said.

Eastern reclamation was complete with the western and outer basin reclamation about 90 percent complete.

The port is designed to cater for the giant new generation container ships.

The depth of water provided and the protected environment of Algoa Bay made Ngqura one of the best locations for a harbour on the South African coast, Kau said.

The port will complement the existing deepwater ports of Richards Bay and Saldanha Bay. It is ideally placed to serve as a trans-shipment hub for locations throughout southern Africa and further afield.

Feasibility studies are under way for various plants at the Coega Industrial Development Zone which surrounds the harbour. The most advanced, says the Coega Development Corporation, is the aluminium smelter planned by Alcan.

Two manganese smelters and ferrochrome and ferronickel plans are also in the pipeline.

CDC development boss Eugene Heeger says investors are also seeing opportunities in the deepwater port itself. "We have had inquiries for a dry dock and for ship repair facilities," he said.

The CDC is also using the metro's motor industry to attract investors to an automotive cluster which will focus on component manufacture.

There is also another plan for an international airport to move time-sensitive freight.