On target for 1.5m teus by year end TERRY HUTSON DURBAN’S CONTAINER terminal (DCT), which last week took delivery of three of the largest container gantry cranes, is set to pass the 1.5 million TEU mark for the first time by the end of this year. By way of comparison, in 1999 the terminal handled 969 085 TEUs. Halfway through the year and with traditionally busy months still ahead, DCT has already handled 715 421 TEUs, despite being under strength with several cranes out for maintenance and repair. It’s partly the lack of infrastructure that has kept DCT’s handling rate below internationally accepted norms, and resulted in a surcharge of US$100 per TEU being implemented. It has been in force for more than a year, much to the concern of cargo owners. Currently the rule is that surcharges will not be lifted until the delays have fallen below 16 hours for 28 consecutive days. However, with a full fleet of new straddle carriers in service and a further three cranes expected in service at DCT next year, bringing the total to 19, the lack of infrastructure will no longer be an accepted excuse for the terminal. SA Port Operations says it anticipates improvements in turnaround times. One factor receiving little exposure is how some berths and individual shifts at DCT have regularly outperformed others. Particularly noticeable are the vessels arriving within the slot system introduced for certain carriers - FTW hears reports of productivity levels of 28 container moves an hour being achieved on certain shifts.
