Pipelines » Overview

Pipeline transport is the transportation of goods through the mode of "pipe networks". Products moves in this manner include liquefied commodities (crude oil, diesel, petrol, jet fuels, gases (methane rich gas). In terms of "gases" it is mostly for gases deemed "stable" and safe to be conveyed via pipelines. There are no major freight pipelines identified in the province. However, this data bank will indicate the major freight pipelines in the country.

Transnet Pipelines (formerly known as Petronet) is a subsidiary of Transnet (see Transnet Units chart below), operates, stores, monitors and manages almost all freight pipelines in South Africa; with the exception of a pipeline owned and operated for crude oil by Caltex in the Western Cape Province (Saldanha to Milnerton). The network covers over 3,000 kilometers (approximately 1,900 miles) and is concentrated between Durban and Gauteng and traverses over five provinces. First established in 1965, due to identified capacity constraints on railways (Durban - Mozambique) for Gauteng hinterland consumption; Transnet Pipelines today moves between 16 - 17 billion liters of refined products and 18 million GigaJoules (GJ) of rich methane gas annually. In terms of future growth, a "New Multi-purpose Pipeline (NMPP) is under construction with completion date of 2011 earmarked to secure fuel supply for inland market consumption.