‘Aggressive efficiency imperative for SA ports to compete’

Transnet plans to double its current capital expenditure programme of R110 billion rand over a five-year period, according to Karl Socikwa, chief executive of Transnet Port Terminals. Speaking at a businessto- business breakfast in Johannesburg in December, he said it was important to create capacity ahead of demand if South Africa wanted to remain globally competitive. He said if South Africa could make its ports attractive for shipping lines and business using its unique position between the east and the west there would be no shortage of opportunities. “We must leverage our unique position and ensure that shipping lines stop off in South Africa when travelling between the east and the west,” he said. “Our ports must be attractive, they must be operated in such a way that we are an efficient option and then we can effectively contribute to GDP and become a preferred transit port for the African continent. “We have spent R4 billion at the Cape Town Container Terminal where we are now achieving targets of 30 crane moves per hour. This is what we want to achieve at all our ports.” Socikwa said if TPT was not operating terminals at top efficiency levels South Africa, and not just Transnet, would be the losers. “The shipping lines will stop at Port Louis or Walvis Bay or Maputo instead of South Africa. It is only when we are operating at levels that are aggressively efficient that we will be able to attract the much-needed volumes to our ports.” Seven new tandem shipto- shore cranes have been ordered for the port of Durban. “These will be the first of their kind on the African continent and will allow us to lift four boxes at a time. It will bolster productivity immensely. “At most of our ports we are where we want to be although we are slightly behind with Durban and Richards Bay, but that is being addressed,” he said.