City Deep concession raises fears of intensified congestion

Shipping executive questions extended free time ALAN PEAT
THERE HAVE been what appear to be two contradictory instructions released by management at the City Deep terminal in Johannesburg – a container terminal that, like that at the port of Durban, almost always complains of suffering from congestion. A senior executive of a European shipping line sent two e-mails to FTW after repeated efforts to contact City Deep management – one of which seemed to relieve export containers from blame for congestion, while the other slammed importers for leaving containers too long before uplift. In the first memo, City Deep customer services manager, Theo Magangoe, said that Spoornet management had decided to review the storage policy at the terminal. From November 1, he added, free waiting time for both empty and full export containers would be extended from three to five days – and the terminal would close at 20h00 daily. Yet his second, anticipating congestion inside the City Deep terminal based on the number of vessels coming through the Durban harbour and also the possibility of running 100-wagon trains from Durban, asked importers not to allow containers to stay too long. “We would like to ask all of our customers to please help us by removing import containers which have been parked for more than 72 hours out of the terminal,” Magangoe said. “Or at least provide a plan on how import boxes are going to be removed so that a space can be created for a large number of import containers coming through to City Deep terminal.” But congestion is congestion, said the executive, no matter whether by import or export boxes, and he described the extra waiting time for exports as seemingly contradictory in the circumstances. “City Deep is very congested,” he said, “and it can’t be used as a storage depot – although terminal management seem to think that they’re doing a great favour for customers.” But Mangangoe disagreed. “The request to importers,” he told FTW, “was because of the present large number of vessels using the Durban harbour and the extra containers we are going to get. Importers have to move them out as quickly as they can because of possible congestion.” As for the extended free time for export boxes, he doesn’t think that this will increase congestion. However, he has plans if the idea fails. “The extra free period will go on trial for a month,” Mangangoe said. “If it doesn’t work, it will be stopped.”