East London gets high on breakbulk volumes

Logs and cement more than double the tonnage BREAKBULK CARGO handled through the SA Port Operations (Sapo) Multi-Purpose Terminal in East London has more than doubled over the previous year. During 2006/07 123 251 tons were handled compared to 57 222 tons imported in the 2005/06 financial year. The main reasons for this growth were cement and logs, the importation of cement contributing 68 030 tons, and log exports 21 226 tons. While the shipping of logs out of East London was a one time event, being cargo salvaged from the vessel Kiperousa that was stranded off the coast near East London, the importation of cement is set to continue and should become a steady business for the terminal. On top of that terminal management at East London is delighted at the consistent manner in which productivity has been improved. The average handling rates achieved per hour have more than doubled from the first vessel when a gross handling rate of 43 tons per hour was recorded. The most recent saw nearly 87 tons per hour achieved. “The quicker handling rate means vessels are being turned around much faster than planned, allowing them to spend more time at sea moving cargo rather than sitting alongside a quay in a port. For the client it means that they get access to their cargo that much faster,” said Sapo business unit executive for East London, Piet Klinkradt. He said further cement imports were expected for the next couple of months.