JOHANNESBURG, Oct 16 Reuters : The South African monopoly port operator Transnet declared a force majeure at its Richards Bay Bulk Terminal in September, it said in a statement, following a fire that broke out on Wednesday at the rail terminal.
Richards Bay Bulk Terminal, Africa's largest coal export facility, is located off the Richards Bay port - one of seven commercial ports operated by Transnet on south africa's coastline.
Transnet did not say whether or to what extent export of commodities such as coal, steel and other minerals would be impacted.
The terminal is working with its affected customers and is currently in the process of placing the necessary contingencies in place as some of routes are operational, the state-owned company said in a statement on Friday night.
The company had said that on Thursday the company was investigating a second fire at the port within a week which has affected the conveyor system and disrupted some operations.
The cause of the fire is unknown and a preliminary investigation is currently underway. Expert assessors and investigators are onsite assessing the extent of damage, it said.