The Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) has boosted its operations team and the number of haulers on the ground to improve efficiency during peak deciduous fruit season this month.
However, inclement weather has continued to set back the handling of exports, CTCT said in a statement on Tuesday.
The terminal had recruited 62 new employees and raised the number of haulers available to operations from 32 to 44 to streamline cargo movement.
This comes after the terminal has recorded a 14% decline in deciduous fruit volumes so far this season compared to last season, which has created cause for concern among industry stakeholders as inclement weather, with wind speeds up to 100 knots per hour, persists.
“Weather is not our only problem but, it really sets us back as we have to close the terminal for extended periods,” said Oscar Borchards, CTCT acting Western Cape managing executive.
“As such, out of the seven rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs), which were delivered in December, three have been handed to Operations so far.”
He said original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Kone Cranes is onsite supporting the port’s technical team and that another three RTGs are undergoing final testing before handover to operations.
Borchardt said 26 of the newly hired lifting equipment operators had completed their courses, while others are still undergoing training.
CTCT has so far this season handled a total of 113,966 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) units of reefer containers, which were exported to European Union countries, Asia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Borchardt said the team was taking advantage of periods of good weather when all resources were available.
“There are pockets of excellence here and there and performance records were broken. However, it’s consistency that we need to focus on.”
He added that last week the team had recorded moving more than 1 950 TEUs over 24 hours against a daily target of 1700 TEUs.
CTCT said the terminal is engaging with the industry and sharing regular customer communication to ensure transparency.
“A 24–hour command centre has been set-up specially to facilitate business continuity despite a total of 202 hours lost to wind this month.
“The terminal is closely monitoring its equipment ramp-up plan, with 25 RTGs in operation. By the first week of February, the terminal will operate a total of 29 RTGs,” CTCT said.
This comes after recent agreements with OEMs that have reduced lead times for sourcing critical spares.
