Improved port operations, better
quality roads on the main
transport corridors and increased
investment in
infrastructure
will reduce costs
and facilitate
trade, helping
Durban and
Richards Bay
operators to
realise their full
growth potential,
says Sue Moodley,
managing director of Durban-based
Transport.com.
But while Richards Bay and
Durban are close to South Africa’s
key emerging markets, such as
India and China, as well as the
increasingly
strategic port
of Maputo in
Mozambique
which gives
the KwaZulu
Natal region
a competitive
advantage in
terms of global
and regional
trade, challenges impacting
industry growth have to be
addressed, she said.
Depots, for example, should be
open on a 24-hour, seven days a
week basis, she said. “The ports and
transporters operate on this basis,
but those truckers and shipping
lines that do not have their own
storage or depot facilities are at
a strategic disadvantage,” noted
Moodley.
Existing landside conditions at
ports also cause major congestion
and huge delays. “For example,
Durban Container Terminal (DCT)
Pier 1 operates the rubber tyred
gantry cranes (RTG) which holds
trucks back from entering the pier
until the cranes have stacked all the
containers, which is far from ideal
when we as transporters have a tight
delivery schedule,” said Moodley.
Ongoing maintenance and
upgrades of main roads will reduce
travel times, lower fuel consumption
and result in less wear and tear on
truck fleets, reducing transport
costs and improving supply chain
operations, commented Moodley.
She told FTW that Transport.
com was working with industry
bodies to address these challenges
by participating in industry forums
and lobbying on behalf of the
logistics industry.
INSERT & CAPTION
Challenges impacting
industry growth have to be
addressed.
– Sue Moodley
