Transnet Port Terminals’ Durban Car Terminal has set a new throughput record, handling 695 686 fully built units (FBUs) in the financial year ended March 2026.
Durban Car Terminal managing executive Earl Peters made the announcement at a special event to mark the milestone at the Port of Durban on Friday.
The celebration, held at N-Shed in the Port of Durban, was attended by terminal leadership, industry stakeholders and labour representatives, including terminal manager Prince Manganyi, representatives from the United National Transport Union and the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, as well as business leaders from BMW, GWM, Suzuki and the South African Association of Ship Operators and Agents (Saasoa).
Peters said the figure represented the highest volume handled in the terminal’s history.
“In the financial year ended March 31, 2026, the Durban Car Terminal handled 695 686 fully built units,” he said. “That is the highest volume this terminal has ever recorded in its entire history.”
The latest performance surpasses the previous record of 621 000 units set in the 2022/23 financial year, reflecting a 12% increase and sustained growth beyond the terminal’s installed capacity of 520 000 units.
“Let me be clear about what that means; we did not just beat a record. We exceeded our own infrastructure's designed capacity and then came back the following year and exceeded it by even more,” Peters said.
He attributed the growth to increased vehicle imports, the entry of new automakers into South Africa and continued support from established original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
“This year, growth was significantly driven by an increase in vehicle imports… alongside strong performance from established local original equipment manufacturers,” he said.
Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) chief executive Jabu Mdaki said the terminal’s performance formed part of a broader surge in automotive volumes across the group’s operations.
“According to our preliminary results, the Durban Car Terminal has now surpassed its own record by approximately 16% in the financial year ended March 2026, and remains, without doubt, sub-Saharan Africa’s largest automotive terminal operator,” he said.
Mdaki added that total volumes across Durban, Gqeberha and KuGompo City were approaching one million units.
“The collaboration between automotive manufacturers and Transnet Port Terminals has enabled us to achieve historic volumes of just under 1 000 000 imported and exported fully built vehicles in a single year,” he said.
The Durban Car Terminal accounted for more than 75% of this total.
Peters highlighted operational factors underpinning the terminal’s performance, including its 24-hour operating model, digital tracking systems and strong partnerships with logistics providers and shipping lines.
“This year, we handled 386 car carriers, compared to 299 in the previous year,” he said, noting a rise in maiden vessel calls as a sign of growing global confidence.
Peters paid tribute to employees across the operation, emphasising the human effort behind the record performance.
“Terminals are built with infrastructure. But records are broken by people.”
Looking ahead, he said rising demand and growing confidence from global partners presented further opportunities for expansion.
“We have proven that we can operate beyond our installed capacity. Now we must build on that foundation.”
Saasoa Pure Car and Truck Carrier’s Forum chairman Lance Pullan agreed.
“Records like these are not achieved through equipment and key size and all these kinds of things. It comes down to people, and every single person in the terminal makes a huge difference in achieving these kinds of records.
"When we keep doing everything a little bit better every day, you will see the difference. We look forward to the new record next year,” Pullan said.
BMW vehicle distribution manager Rod Baxter highlighted the challenges facing the sector.
"It’s no secret that the automotive industry globally is in a massive state of change at the moment, apart from the drive towards new energy vehicles. There are many new players entering the market, particularly in the Western world, and the tariff structures are changing; it's uncertain where they'll be next. So there's a lot of uncertainty,” he said
“There's massive political and economic upheaval in the world as well, and the South African automotive industry is not immune to this. However, we've come to the back of a really good year when we showed resilience and determination, and that was evidenced here in the Port of Durban, which achieved the highest-ever recorded vehicle throughput.”
Baxter said BMW had achieved its own production milestones of producing a record number of vehicles in 2025/6 at its Rosslyn plant, as well as hitting the milestone of producing the 100 000th fourth-generation BMW X3 recently.
"This combined success ensures we remain part of the global automotive sector and continue to supply motor vehicles from South Africa to the world,” Baxter said.
