DPE to benchmark SA port performance

The Department of Public Enterprises will set standards for port performance against global benchmarks in key productivity areas such as ship turn-around times and terminal crane moves per hour in order to make the Cape Town Container Terminal a destination of choice for major shipping companies That was the message from Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba last week at the Cape Town Container Terminal Expansion Project Milestone Celebration. As the shareholder responsible for supporting the country’s national growth objectives, he said the department would be monitoring the quality of operations in all its container terminals with a high level of interest. But as container volumes grow, there is an increasing risk of road congestion in Cape Town if the port is not able efficiently to process trucks – a situation that will undermine both the city’s tourism attractiveness and the quality of life for its residents. “In this context, it is critical to find creative solutions to bring containers to the port using rail and thus shield the waterfront from the spectre of long queues of trucks lined up outside the port and congesting our roads,” he said. “This means that our freight rail must become efficient and well served and serviced in order to support port operations and efficiencies.” Over and above investing R23 billion in locomotives and R18.9 billion in wagons over the next five years, Gigaba underscores the importance of improving on the current scenario where only 680 of the potential 1 700 trains are taking off each day due to the unavailability either of the wagons or locomotives to support the balance.