East London car terminal’s traffic volumes rise

Ed Richardson Vehicle imports and exports through East London harbour grew by 29% in 2002. According to SA Port Operations spokesperson Sindie Ndwalaza, the number of vehicles handled at the port’s specialist terminal rose from 31 538 in 2001 to 44 096 in 2002. There was a marginal rise of half a per cent in container volumes, which rose from 63 443 to 63 166 standard units between 2001 and 2002. This growth was due to an increase in the quantities of rice imported and in exports of motor components, according to Ndwalaza. Breakbulk volumes dropped from 73 313 to 57 041 tons due to a reduction in exports of timber and scrap metal.