Terry Hutson A DELEGATION from the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) left for Europe last week to check out the availability and quality of second-hand gantry cranes for DCT prior to buying three second -hand machines. With brand new cranes taking between 18 and 24 months for delivery, it was first decided to lease three cranes and purchase another three. However SA Port Operations has since decided it would be more cost effective to purchase used machines that can be pressed more quickly into service at the embattled Durban terminal - if possible even before the end of the year. The shortage of cranes at South African ports and in particular at Durban has been targeted as a reason for delays that led to a US$100 per TEU surcharge being imposed by shipping lines. These surcharges were subsequently lifted at Port Elizabeth and Cape Town but remain in force at Durban. The US-SA Conference said last week that productivity at all the SA ports remained poor and cited poor handling alongside as a main reason. Last week three refurbished straddle carriers were transferred from Durban to Port Elizabeth to assist that port with container moves on the quayside. The move became possible after SA Port Operations took delivery of 60 new two-high Kalmar straddle carriers from Finland. Further transfers of refurbished straddle carriers from Durban to Cape Town are expected. Meanwhile the Port of Durban was closed to marine movements once again at the weekend because of the weather, pushing the delay at DCT back to 48 hours. This was after DCT had managed to reduce the delays following the previous weekend closures down to 23 hours by Friday.
