CT reefer plug points meet demand

AS THE citrus season tapers down and a new
deciduous season prepares to get under way, Oscar
Borchards, business unit executive at Cape Town
Container Terminal, is satisfied that planned reefer
plug point capacity has stood the test.
Certainly, he is not aware of any complaints about
capacity constraints and emphasises once again the
need to plan ahead.
The terminal currently has 2 250 reefer plug points
and Borchards says provision has been made for a
further 750 to be added, stressing that this will only
come about if the need arises.
“Citrus is going well and exports are still running,
hence the extended season, but it is now starting to
tone down and we are preparing for deciduous which
kicks in between October and November.”
Borchards says trucking turnabout time stands at
around 30 minutes “in and out”, not an assessment
with which all in the freight industry will agree.
“There are peaks and valleys in truck arrivals but
we are making progress, managing them.”
He says there has been more of a focus on
trucking arrivals and drop-offs from Transnet Port
Terminals’ perspective, given the terminal’s R4.2 billion
expansion project, which should be complete by 2010.
While it’s early days to forecast how deciduous
will perform, citrus has by all accounts fared well,
lemons in particular, the FOB of total fruit expected
to be around R7.2 billion.
Statistics compiled by the Perishable Products
Export Control Board reveal a growth of 5.3% in
South Africa’s overall fruit volumes (from all ports)
for this year – a high of 318 286 pallets in June – of
which 84% was shipped containerised and 16%
by SRS.