THE BUNCHING of vessels in Durban following recent excessive winds, has forced Portnet to introduce a set of stringent temporary measures which will hopefully ensure that the terminal remains fluid:
The trial 4-day stack openings over weekends have been reduced to 3 days, as was previously the case, with immediate effect. Shipping lines have been asked to ensure that vessels are ready to work within one hour of berthing and to sail within an hour of completion of container working. An amending fee of R250 applies for documents amending delivery instructions to discourage unnecessary delivery instruction changes which have a negative effect on terminal productivity, effective since September 16. The port captain will be requested to provide a priority service to vessels calling at the container terminal. Delivery instructions for all containers must be executable within four days of the completion of discharge of the vessel. Containers with delivery instructions which cannot be executed within four days will be treated as overstays and sent to any licensed depot which can accommodate them. A proposed surcharge of R500 per container will be considered for containers landed at the terminal without delivery instructions. This charge will also apply where delivery cannot be made within four days of the vessel completing discharge. This will be implemented if the situation does not improve.