Containers take the lead as most preferred shipment mode

Port of Durban shows biggest decline in pallet volumes RAY SMUTS THERE WAS a time when specialised reefer service operators and their container counterparts were more or less in agreement that the balance between the two would eventually even out at around 50/50. Not particularly accurate, given that sending refrigerated export fruit in containers rather than the conventional method of mostly underdeck, is gaining increasing acceptance by the day. Container volumes handled by South African ports – a large proportion reefer (refrigerated) cargo – are expected to rise by more than 8% in Transnet’s financial year ending March, 2007. Taking the example of Cape Town, South Africa’s second largest port and major exporter of the fruit basket, deciduous volumes shipped conventional were down 34% last year over 2004, citrus recording a 28% decline in volumes shipped by this mode. The National Ports Authority however makes the point that containerised citrus volumes showed a 3.2% decline over 2004 and containerised deciduous a 5% decline over 2004 in Cape Town. According to statistics supplied by the NPA, the Mother City port shipped 123.5777 pallets in containers of citrus last year, conventional citrus accounting for 94.654. During the same period, the port shipped 514 118 pallets in containers of deciduous, 218 142 conventional. Containerised sub-tropical fruit accounted for 45 114 pallets containerised and 323 conventional last year for a grand total (all fruit) of 682.809 containerised pallets and 313.119 conventional. It was however the port of Durban that showed the largest decline in pallet volumes over 2004, 20% ( 689 753 pallets), Cape Town following with a 12.8% decline (995 928 pallets) and Port Elizabeth 13.1% down (258 685 pallets).