No resolution to container handling crisis at Durban port

The freight industry has expressed concern at the adverse impact on business due to inefficiencies associated with Transnet battling a shortage of straddle carriers – new equipment to move and stack containers at the Port of Durban’s pier 2 container terminal.

Despite Saturday Citizen having afforded Transnet more than a week to respond to a set of questions on how the state-owned enterprise planned to deal with the challenge and its impact on the economy, it failed to reply by yesterday.

In a recent memorandum to customers, the TPT port operator said a shortage of equipment had hampered recovery operations and service delivery at the terminal, due to intermittent breakdowns and inclement weather.

Shortage of equipment hampered recovery operations, service delivery

“The operations team, in collaboration with the engineering team, has explored various options to expedite operations as much as possible,” it said in the letter.

“We sincerely appreciate your understanding and continued cooperation during this period.”

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It promised that components for four new straddle carriers at the Port of Durban would be assembled and ready for operation by mid-January.

Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, said operations at the port were “severely hampered”.

Kelly said inclement weather was a factor, causing “a compound effect on cargo moving through the Port of Durban, as well as ships standing outside offshore waiting to come in”.

Inclement weather was a factor

“Whether you have equipment or not, strong offshore winds, rain and severe flooding will hamper any operation at the quayside and hamper the availability of ships to come into and exit the harbour.

“Right now, it is impossible to quantify figures on what the freight industry has lost, but I am sure that as we head towards the end of January into February, we will get an understanding of what the effect has been,” Kelly said.

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“The fact that Transnet is now also bringing a shortage of equipment into the discussion, it should be known that this matter has been something discussed over a number of years before – the operational ability of the Port of Durban and a number of others, to deliver.

“This is not something new. Shortage of equipment has hampered operations and will continue to do so until such time it is resolved.

“We saw at the end of 2024 that some new equipment had arrived at the Port of Durban and that has not yet been implemented or put together.

‘This is not something new’

“The resolution date is yet unknown. The shortage of straddle carriers is a major issue and we have been told that would be resolved by the middle of January,” added Kelly.

Volumes, he said, “are not where they should” be.

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“We still have a bit of muted volumes flowing through the port. But obviously, volumes are going to be severely affected, due to these equipment issues.

“The situation is affecting anyone moving imports and exports through the harbour.

“Road Freight Association members have voiced their concern. The situation is not as if we can press a switch and all of a sudden everything will run efficiently at 100%.

Road Freight Association members voiced concern

“As challenges remain, things need to be worked on,” he said.

Kelly said the crisis at the port would fuel calls for “privatisation of a pier or two at the Port of Durban or the port itself, so that we can move freight in and out of the country”.

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Operational challenges have also pushed South African ports to be categorised as some of the worst in the world, according to the World Bank and rating agency S&P’s port rankings for efficiency and competitiveness.

According to the Container Port Performance Index, Cape Town, Ngqura, Port Elizabeth and Durban fell into the bottom 20 of global port rankings in 2023.