Durban’s maritime cluster focuses on holistic logistics strategy

DURBAN WILL shortly have its
own unique maritime cluster,
an overarching association
akin to a Chamber of Shipping
and representative of every
aspect within the port
economic activity.
As the leading port city
in Africa, the eThekwini
Municipality’s (Durban)
Economic Development
Department took the initiative
in helping create a cluster that
would be fully representative
of all bodies, organisations
and companies involved in the
maritime business
around Durban.
A series of workshops
and one-on-one meetings
was then held to introduce
the concept which has now
reached the point of buy-in.
Motivation for the cluster
came from a lack of full
liaison between the relevant
authorities, including the
city and Transnet and the
maritime industry as a whole.
This has become self-evident
in recent years with several
major developments in the
port and surrounding backof-
port areas. But equally
important during this time has
been the lack of consultation
involving the massive private
maritime industry.
The concept of an industry
cluster is nothing new to
Durban with the city having
already initiated several
similar clusters in other
spheres of business, including
the motor industry cluster, the
furniture manufacturing sector
and waste-management, but
nothing has been tackled
quite on the scale of the
maritime sector, says Trivi
Arjunan, the department’s
sector development manager.
The intention of the cluster
is to become the ‘champion’
for Durban as the region’s
leading port city with the
creation of a body helping
to strategically evolve the
total logistics industry – port,
rail, road, pipelines and all
attendant constituents, and in
constantly identifying priority
objectives and raising the
profile of Durban as a major
port in the international arena.
At a recent cluster
workshop an American Hong
Kong-based consultant,
Matthew Flynn, who has
been working with Transnet
Port Terminals for several
months, pointed out that
the establishment of the
maritime cluster sent a loud
signal to all other ports and
trading nations worldwide
which said that Durban as a
port city meant business and
intended doing it efficiently
and professionally.