Richards Bay (South Africa)

Richard's Bay is a port city in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal/KZN province (1994-created). The Port is located on a 30 km2 (12 mi2) lagoon of Mhlatuze River, making it one of the country's biggest harbours. The town has population around 60,000.

Originally built for the coal export, Port Richards Bay (locode ZARCB) eventually developed into South Africa's principal bulk cargo port, handling dry-bulk (which includes coal), liquid-bulk (tanker ships) and breakbulk cargoes. The Port currently has 6 berths, quay length 2,2 km (1,4 mi), land area approx 276 hectares (2,76 km2 / 680 acres) and coal storage capacity 8,2 million tons.

Richard's Bay Coal Terminal is currently ranked the world's largest coal export facility with annual capacity ~91 million tons. Two aluminum smelters (Bayside and Hillside) are operated by BHP Billiton Ltd (subsidiary of BHP Group / UK-Australian company headquartered in Melbourne). The fertilizer plant (operated by Foskor) is also at the harbor. Rutile (titanium oxide), zircon and iron ores are mined (by Richard's Bay Minerals) from the sand dunes near the lagoon.

Richards Bay and Rustenberg are currently the country's fastest-developing cities. However, like most South African territories, this area is infected by poverty and unemployment (estimated at ~40%) with many of the locals living below the poverty line.

The tourism industry is a major contributor to the town's economy, as Richards Bay is the gateway to Zululand and best-known for its large game parks and diverse wildlife. Richard's Bay Industrial Development Zone (RBIDZ) is a fully serviced industrial park comprising heavy, medium and light production industries linked to the Port.

Port Richards Bay's cargo and cruise shipping operations are managed by TNPA (Transnet National Ports Authority). This is Africa's largest port authority company that manages 7 large seaports in South Africa - Richards Bay, Durban, Cape Town, East London, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, Saldanha.

Richards Bay Airport serves domestic flights (by Airlink) linking to Johannesburg.