Durban to bring on two new cranes

Despite unexpected
headwinds, such as a sharp
drop in commodity prices,
Transnet is “in it for the
long-haul” and remains
committed to its Market
Demand Strategy (MDS)
– R69 billion of which has
been earmarked for the Port
of Durban, according to a
senior port official.
As part of this spend,
two new twin lift cranes
will soon be deployed at the
port’s east quay. The cranes
are expected to be fully
commissioned by the end
of this month and are the
first of a total of four to be
acquired, said Zeph Ndlovu,
general manager: KZN
operations at Transnet Port
Terminals (TPT).
He pointed out that each of
the cranes was worth
R300 million. “It is a very
bullish investment which
indicates our level of
commitment to expanding
the port to keep up with
growing trade demands,”
said Ndlovu.
Speaking to FTW during
a port tour – arranged as
part of the South African
Association of Freight
Forwarders' congress held in
Durban last week – he said
that more than 61% of the
country’s total containerised
cargo came through the
Durban port.
“This brings huge
opportunities for freight and
logistics and we can leverage
the advantages of the port on
the south-south trade; but
this is only possible if we as
an industry synchronise our
strategies and operations,” he
commented.
Ndlovu agreed that
the port was not running
optimally from an operations
perspective, noting that it
was like running a Rolls
Royce like a minibus taxi.
“That is why we are now
working closely with the
shipping lines to optimise
stowage so we can improve
turnaround time,” he said.
Ndlovu added that the port
had also just taken delivery of
two new rail gantry cranes.
INSERT
Facts and Figures
The Port of Durban’s daily movements:
• 5 000 containers handled per day
• 743 TEUs moved on rail per day
• An average of 2 500 TEUs moved on trucks per day
CAPTION
Zeph Ndlovu and Kevin Martin, director of Freightliner and past chairman of the Durban
Harbour Carriers’ Association, hosted a tour of the Port of Durban last week.