CT approaches 1m TEU mark

The Cape Town Container
Terminal is gradually edging
forward to the one million
TEU mark, the Port Liaison
Forum (PLF) recently heard.
Presenting statistics for
the past year to the forum,
an initiative of the Cape
Chamber of Commerce
and Industry, Transnet
Port Terminals (TPT)
representatives said the
terminal had handled a total
of 848 000 TEUs in the past
financial year.
“The terminal currently
has a one million TEU
capacity and we are getting
very close to that mark,”
a TPT official told the
forum. “Plans are under way
from a capital investment
perspecitve to ensure that
we have extended capacity
available before we hit the
one million TEU mark.”
He said of the total
number of containers
handled at the port in the
past year 18% had been
transhipments and 20-23%
of the total throughput
empty containers.
“We have steadfastly
increased the number of
TEUs that we handle while
at the same time working on
efficiency,” he said.
The main gate to the
port averaged a 34-minute
waiting time and remained
a priority for TPT which was
working hard to reduce this
figure.
The PLF also heard that
at least two thirds of all
reefer capacity at the port
was again being worked by
straddle carriers as opposed
to rubber tyre gantries. This
was to counter the impact
of high winds on operations
as the straddle carriers
continued to work in higher
wind conditions than the
RTGs.