Containerised cargo grows 8.9%

Containerised cargo through the country’s eight commercial ports last year showed a sound 8.9% growth over 2012, according to the Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) statistics just released to FTW. In 2013 the ports handled 4 694 101 TEUs compared to 4 309 069 in 2012. The total of full boxes, meantime, climbed by 7.8% to 3 373 028 last year compared to 3 127 672 in 2012. And of these full boxes, 1 085 851 were shipped deepsea (exports) in 2013, a healthy 12.6% up on the 964 120 in 2012. Those landed deepsea (imports) totalled 1 459 698, a smaller increase of 8.3% on the 1 405 292 TEUs the previous year. The overall growth in bulk cargoes was considerably less, totalling 199 236 582 tonnes in 2013, up only 2.2% on the 194 861 413t of 2012. The coal port of Richards Bay was the good performer last year, with its 85 037 607t up 6.2% on the 80 001 806t of 2012. The iron ore port of Saldanha Bay, meanwhile, actually recorded a drop in tonnage exported – down 4.2% to 53 375 554t last year from 55 708 901t in 2012. Breakbulk cargo was the rogue amongst the cargo categories, with an overall drop in tonnage of 2.8% in 2013. It went down to 15 177 422t in 2013 from 15 619 010t in 2012. Of the two main breakbulk ports Durban was the better, with a 13.3% increase to 7 923 011t last year, from 6 991 481t in 2012. Richards Bay was the one that took a plunge, 29.9% down to 3 770 616t in 2013, compared to 5 378 056t in 2012. INSERT 2.8% The drop in breakbulk cargo in 2013.