Business

Little boxes: Container terminal at the Port of Durban

Every year between June and July, billions of sardines swim north towards the coast of KwaZulu- Natal, drawing dolphins, sharks and tourists to Durban’s doorstep. It’s one of the largest marine migrations on the planet, yet in South Africa’s coastal municipal planning offices, the ocean barely registers as an economic asset. Four of our largest cities are on one of the world’s most productive ocean systems and not one of them has a formal blue economy strategy to show for it.

Elijah Ramulifho is the programme manager for the Sustainability and Resilient Cities programme at South African Cities Network (SACN). His team is currently researching the blue economy and whether local coastal cities have integrated ocean linked economic thinking into their planning. While most people are familiar with the idea of an “oceans economy”, which encompasses the economic activity that uses ocean resources, from fishing and shipping to maritime transport, tourism and offshore energy, the blue economy adds another element.