Pledging commitment to fruit industry
RAY SMUTS
SA PORT Operations is intensifying its drive to satisfy the entire customer base by increasing productivity and improving ship turnaround time.
“We are working with shipping lines and customers to resolve existing problems and beginning to anticipate what may happen in future,” Sapo CEO Tau Morwe told a media briefing in Cape Town last week.
Cape Town terminal business unit manager Oscar Borchards said the focus of the terminal drive was to turn vessels around faster. Currently, berthing delays are three hours on average and an average of 25 to 28 hours from the time the vessel drops anchor till it leaves the port.
Container productivity is up to between 18 and 20 moves per hour from a previous 14. The target is a consistent 22, the international benchmark starting at 25 moves per hour.
Against a background of growing reefer traffic, Borchards has made a “commitment” to the fruit industry that 2 000 plug points will be in place by the end of January. The port had
1 392 points in January 2004.
As an interim measure, 280 portable reefer plug power pack units will temporarily support capacity until all points have been installed by the end of April, when all electric processes are in place.
Another plus this year has been the installation of a computerised Refcon reefer monitoring system supporting the terminal’s quality drive to ensure sensitive temperature regimes are closely monitored for specific fruit destinations such as the Far East steri-controlled market.
Funding has been approved to increase stacking capacity for empty containers four-high as has further capital expenditure for a phased two-year programme to replace the existing 23 straddle carriers with new Kalmars.
Also part of the terminal’s five year-plan is gradually replacing the 25-year-old Demag gantry cranes with six new cranes costing around R54 million apiece.
l Morwe disputed a recent news report that R4.6 billion would be spent over six years on improving container handling facilities in the port of Durban. “Across all terminals we will be spending about R4.9 billion over five years.”
