Durban cracks 'unique' ISO award

Terry Hutson AT FIRST sight the awarding last month (October) of ISO9001: 2000 accreditation to the Marine Services division of the Port of Durban might seem like just another quality services accreditation - laudable but nowadays not so newsworthy. However, it turns out to be somewhat unique, in that nowhere else in the world has any port ever been successful in gaining the sought-after management standard across such a wide spectrum of maritime services. These services cover port control, signals, berth planning, piloting, fleet and berthing services and the invoicing of ships agencies and owners, involving a total team effort across the port. Durban's port captain Derrick Cooke initiated the process of implementing a quality management standard set for a service organisation in the belief that to operate in a competitive global economy, and specifically within the maritime industry, continual improvement was necessary.