The ongoing congestion being experienced at the Port of Durban continues to have a knock on effect on Cape Town with planning severely affected. According to the Port Liaison Forum, an initiative of the Cape Chamber of Commerce, local efforts to see port operations continue in heavy winds have paid off and the port is only closed for operations in wind speeds of near 82km per hour. “That is not the case in Durban and Port Elizabeth where operations cease at around 62 km per hour. That along with the major construction under way at the Durban port is adding to the congestion,” said a spokesman for the PLF in Cape Town last week. “The knock-on effect is felt here in terms of port planning as vessels run out of schedule, and in light of the fresh produce handled at the Cape Town port its schedules are crucial.” The forum said major inroads had been made in Cape Town to ensure operational efficiency despite the heavy winds experienced between November and February each year. “It is clear that we have to find some serious solutions to the Durban congestion and bottlenecks as they impact quite severely on the rest of the country,” said the spokesman. Durban, which currently sees some 3000 containers moved per day by road, is expected to run out of capacity by 2018. This has motivated plans for the digout port, but that is years in the making. “If the current expected volume increases are taken into account, without the necessary rail upgrades, that figure is expected to increase to some 17000 containers a day being moved by road which is just not feasible,” he said. “We have to look seriously at how freight is moved in this country and at moving more cargo to rail. The right noises are being made but it is just not happening fast enough.”
