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
