Chetty to clear bottlenecks in port system

Captain Neil Chetty, who has been acting manager of the port of Ngqura for the past three years, will be tasked with improving operations and performance in all three Eastern Cape ports. He hands over management of the port to Mpumi Dweba on October 1. According to Herbert Msagala, general manager operations of the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), continuous improvement managers have been appointed for all the harbours under TNPA control. Their task is to “deal with bottlenecks in the port system”, in order to reduce the cost of shipping in and out of South Africa. This includes rail and road links in and out of the port where they impact on vessel turnaround times and port efficiencies. “Shipping lines want Transnet to reduce the costs of doing business with South Africa. The only way we can do that is through greater efficiency,” he says. Vessel turnaround times will be measured from when they enter the port limits, rather than when they dock in order to determine the true turnaround time. Similarly, the time taken for rail and road trucks to pass in and out of the port gates rather than the terminal entrance will be measured.