Swakop jetty to be renovated – again!
By Adolf Kaure.
The Swakopmund Municipality said the jetty will undergo renovations and repairs after an assessment of its condition revealed its poor state.
During the latest Council ordinary monthly meeting, the management committee pointed out that a visual inspection was conducted by its Engineering and Planning Services Department to assess the condition in which the Jetty is.
Based on inspection it was found that the Jetty requires much needed attention, with the affected floor planks and hand railings needing to be replaced, while a survey of the supporting structures of the Jetty also needs to be conducted.
“Council will have to contribute a majority of the funds needed to repair and upgrade the Jetty,” said Chairperson of the Swakopmund Municipal Council’s Management Committee, Blasius Goraseb.
CONDITION ASSESSMENT
In September 2023, a visual assessment was conducted on the condition of the wooden sections or parts of the Jetty showing that the first portion where the café is located, is in a general poor condition. All the timbers are close to end of life while the hand railings are loose with many cracked or broken planks.
The assessment also highlighted that the first 50-70 metre section of the Jetty, where the majority of the waves break and produce sea spray is in very poor condition. The hand railings are rotten in this section and mostly loose but not broken, however not stable.
Towards the end on the Jetty, the small bridge crossing from the concrete portion to the steel portion is in a good conditions with no obvious issues. Rust is mainly an issue, but it will be a while until it has become a problem.
The floor planks at the end of the Jetty (new section), seem to be of another type of wood. These are not suffering from the rot as much as the start of the Jetty. It was observed that this kind of wood has lots of defects such as cracks and missing planks.
It was also observed that a lot of the cracks and broken planks seem to be caused by the cart used by the restaurant when they are transporting their goods.
Some of the gaps in the planks are very wide, with this likely due to the planks being replaced by old scrap planks not of the same size. Furthermore, the fasteners and brackets for all the planks, hand railing and bridge structures need individual inspection and service.
The café building in the front is in poor condition with water coming through the floor when the waves are high. Further inspection of its support is required.
The concrete superstructure for the first half of the Jetty looks mostly good but some of the first few columns are showing cracks and spalling. This will have to receive attention soon as it may cause the cross beams that are supported by thickenings on the columns to break off, causing serious structural damage.
One of the support buttresses that was added during the renovations of 2005/2006, seems to have broken.
Image of the Swakopmund Jetty by Adolf Kaure.
