MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

How spooky!

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Port Elizabeth has two doppelgangers in the United States:

  1. Port Newark-Elizabeth (sometimes called “Port Newark” and “Port Elizabeth”) – the third largest container port in the United States (the same position that the Port of Port Elizabeth holds in South Africa). Port Newark-Elizabeth’s two components – Port Newark and the Elizabeth Marine Terminal – sit side by side within the cities of Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike and Newark Airport.
  2. Port Elizabeth, New Jersey – an unincorporated community located within Maurice River Township in Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 08348 with a population of 455.

On 26 October 2006 the local Port Elizabeth NSRI rescued two Nigerian men, Christiaan Baradise, 22, and Isaac Cyrin, 28, off the rudder of a Japanese car carrier along with the body of a third stowaway, known only as Emmanuel.

The following month a similar incident occurred in the Port of Port Elizabeth, in the United States with the rescue of stowaways off of a ship’s rudder.

This morning I noticed this tweet from Port Elizabeth, New Jersey:

Isn’t it strange that, once again, a disaster that occurred in Port Elizabeth, South Africa (and I here I refer to the fire in a Glendinningvale home last week) is mirrored in one of our Doppelgangers just days thereafter?

More about Port Newark-Elizabeth:

Port Newark–Elizabeth Marine Terminal, a major component of the Port of New York and New Jersey, is the principal container ship facility for goods entering and leaving New York metropolitan area and the north eastern quadrant of North America. Located on Newark Bay, the facility is run by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Its two components – Port Newark and the Elizabeth Marine Terminal (sometimes called “Port Newark” or “Port Elizabeth”) – sit side by side within the cities of Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, just east of the New Jersey Turnpike and Newark Airport.

Once the busiest container port in the world – in 1985 – the Port was, as of 2004, the largest in the eastern United States and the third-largest in the country.

Container goods typically arrive on container ships through The Narrows and the Kill Van Kull before entering Newark Bay, a shallow body of water that has been dredged to accommodate large ships (some ships enter Newark Bay via the Arthur Kill). The port facility consists of two main dredged slips and multiple loading cranes. Metal containers are stacked in large arrays visible from the New Jersey Turnpike before being loaded onto rail cars and trucks.

In 2009, the major port operators at Port Newark–Elizabeth included Maher terminals, APM terminal (A. P. Moller-Maersk), and PNCT (Port Newark Container terminal).

The height of ships serving the port is limited by the Bayonne Bridge over Kill Van Kull, a limitation that will become more serious when the Panama Canal expansion project opens, allowing bigger, new Panamax ships to reach the port from Asia. In 2012 the Port Authority announced plans to increase the height of the Bayonne Bridge’s roadway to 215 feet, which will solve the problem. The project is expected to cost around $1 billion. Other improvements are expected to cost additional billions of dollars, including larger cranes, bigger railyard facilities, deeper channels, and expanded wharves. New cranes arrived in May 2014.

More about Port Elizabeth, New Jersey:

Port Elizabeth, named for Elizabeth Clark Bodly, a Quaker and owner of lands on which Port Elizabeth is situated, was laid out in 1785. In 1778, a dam was built on the Manumuskin River, drying out valuable lands for farmers, who flocked in. Further down the river wharves were built, giving Port Elizabeth the Port part of the name.

The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.