CT terminal ‘merger’ pumps up productivity

Transnet Port Terminals has revealed that the recent merger of the Cape Town container and multi-purpose terminals and remodelling of planning and operations structures has led to an increase in productivity and performance since the end of June. The changes, says TPT, assisted in recovery plans after the disruptive three-week Transnet worker strike in May. It took the terminal just two weeks to clear the backlog of vessels. Gross crane hours (GCH), the common measure of productivity in the container handling business and a crucial factor in container shipping, has improved from an average of 22 to 25 GCH, with a peak performance during the week ending July 16, when the terminal achieved 28 GCH – the target set by Transnet for all container terminals as part of its quantum leap strategy. In terms of ship working hours (SWH) – the number of containers that have to be moved by the number of cranes working on a vessel in one hour – the Cape Town terminals improved from an average of 39 to 42 SWH. This is a key performance indicator for customers. Stack occupancy at the terminals has stabilised at 50%, a reflection of good throughput control of containers handled, significant considering the container terminal’s current refurbishment programme which has put pressure on stack capacity. Truck turnaround times have improved from more than 30 minutes on average to 23 minutes to enter and exit for loading or offloading of containers. Credited for a number of the changes, Velile Dube, new Western Cape terminal executive responsible for all TPT terminals in Cape Town and Saldanha, says the merger of the two terminals has allowed TPT to plan holistically, make better use of infrastructure, equipment and facilities and ensure that customer service and performance across the port is consistent. “We are now looking at berth availability and available infrastructure for the entire Cape Town Terminal rather than at two separate terminals. “A container vessel can now come into the port and be berthed at either terminal, with the same TPT management and operations teams working to serve customers across the port.”