Delays and congestion plague Cape Town port

The Port of Cape Town has come under severe pressure as heavy winds and Navis breakdowns have scuppered port productivity. Truck operators told FTW it was taking up to four hours at a time to get into the container terminal and another two before containers were loaded. One operator said that at least a third of the current wage bill was allocated to drivers who were simply sitting and waiting to get into the port. To add to the matter several shipping lines have started to charge demurrage for containers not uplifted from the terminal in time. In one instance, R15 200 was charged for demurrage despite the transporter trying on numerous occasions to uplift three containers. According to Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) the port has been experiencing a number
of challenges since mid-March related to delays in network traffic and adverse weather conditions. “There were delays in network traffic resulting in slow processing of information between the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) and the centralised Navis system in Durban,” said Pamela Yoyo, CTCT business manager. “As a result, Navis was impacted. A task team responsible for resolving the matter successfully migrated to a new and stable network and we have not had any issues since March 23.” Industry agreed saying the newly implemented software was already proving to be more reliable. According to Yoyo the port’s
current architecture allows for quicker identification and resolution of any network latency issues. “Throughout this period, TPT has maintained communication on progress to resolve the network issues with all its customers. An ongoing assessment of the terminal’s system infrastructure is continuing to ensure that all aspects are operating optimally,” she said. In terms of the weather, Yoyo said high winds had forced the port to stop operations several times. “To address the weatherrelated challenges we have implemented a special focus on reefer containers to accept direct deliveries. We have also opened a night shift for delivery and collections as required, and activated an eighth waterside
gang operation at night.” Furthermore suitable vessels were being diverted to the adjoining Cape Town Multipurpose Terminal to alleviate the backlog, she added. “We are also adjusting the opening and closing of stacks in alignment with downtime,” said Yoyo. In terms of the truck congestion she said TPT was working closely with Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) to address the issue,
while they were also in constant communication with the authority regarding berthing and bollard integrity usage as planned. “The terminal is currently exploring the installation of anti-sway technology on rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes to improve performance during periods of strong winds. The first test began in March with one RTG. The intention  is to test three RTGs,” said Yoyo.