CT embraces harsh weather challenges

Harsh weather conditions are no excuse for lack of delivery, says terminal manager for Cape Town Terminals, Pam Yoyo. “Wind, fog and strong underwater currents are part and parcel of Cape Town. We cannot change them – we have to just work through them.” With wind plaguing the port during the summer months when it is peak season for grapes, and water currents severely affecting ship movement during winter months when it is citrus season, the pragmatic approach of Yoyo and her management team is being carried across the terminal workforce. “I don’t think any of our employees see it as a challenge any more. In summer we work in high winds. That is just how it is.” Major effort has gone into finding solutions to the issues even though not much can be done to change the weather. While the multipurpose terminal is far less affected by wind it does not have the depth to handle the big vessels. A wind strategy that involves using both rubber tyre gantries and reach stackers has also worked wonders, as the recovery time after the port has been wind bound is much faster. Crane operators have also undergone intensive training and work in much higher wind speeds than any other operators in the country. Winds of up to 80km/hour have to be blowing before the Cape Town Container Terminal is declared wind bound whereas in other ports operations shut down at lower wind speeds. “We are also of course challenged by our mere position,” says Yoyo. “Thanks to the location of the terminal there are no default volumes attracted to it and so we have to grow volumes in other ways. We have to work really hard to increase our volumes which we have been doing steadily over the past 12 months.” In the first three months of 2015 the port has surpassed its budget expectations despite volumes being down across the rest of the country. INSERT & CAPTION While the multipurpose terminal is far less affected by wind it does not have the depth to handle the big vessels. – Pam Yoyo