‘25 containers an hour achievable on a consistent basis’ Ray Smuts THE CAPE Town terminal is currently achieving a productivity average of 16-17 containers an hour up to a peak of 25 at times. “At this stage the ideal is what we call a moving target,” says South African Port Operations’ Nad Govender. “If the operation allows that we can work at 30 then we will but I think Cape Town can probably achieve 25 on a consistent basis.” Reflecting on the at times chaotic scenario that reigned within the terminal earlier this year - vessel delays, slow turnaround, low productivity and the like - Govender concedes: “I don’t think anybody was happy at loading containers at 12-13 an hour but at the same time one must realise that the problem did not lie solely with Sapo. “They were coming from all different areas and we had to address the quality and timeousness of the information coming through. The realisation dawned that this was not a one-party solution.” Reacting to criticism of terminal cranes undergoing maintenance during peak hours Govender said this had not happened except in a situation of breakdown and then only once adequate notice had been served on the industry. The intention to avoid “sitting with a problem” when peak fruit season dawned was to have all crane maintenance completed in time. Sapo has previously asserted the successor to departed terminal manager Ian Bouwer could in all likelihood be an international appointee, but Govender alludes to some local candidates with international experience and believes therefore it could make makes sense to appoint one of them provided they have the relevant credentials. The Transnet/Sapo shortlist is down to around four locals and about the same number of internationals. An announcement could be made by the end of this month.
