Exports down as port volumes rise

The news in the latest SA port stats from Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) for the first quarter is that overall container volumes are rising nicely, but totally dependent on imports – with exports actually dropping. Breakbulk cargo movement, meantime, has boomed – with volumes rising by over 50% this first quarter compared to the same period last year. The total volume of containers moved through SA’s six container handling ports in the first quarter rose 8.3%, from 941 218-TEUs in 2010 to 1 019 530-TEUs this year. But it has to be remembered that this total includes empty boxes and transhipments – with the latter constituting about a third of the overall box movement through the SA ports. The truth of the matter when it comes to looking at the actual movement of trade goods is to take the totals for full boxes, deepsea, landed and shipped – missing out on the empty and transhipment totals, and revealing the actual imports and exports in and out of SA. In January this year, the total of full boxes landed (imports) was 86 922 TEUs, up 9.6% on the 72 313 TEUs of last January. February saw 110 610 TEUs landed, up 15.7% on the 95 634 TEUs of last February. March was 101 785 TEUs, up 16.6% on last March’s 87 272 TEUs. The total for these SA imports was 299 317 TEUs in the first quarter, up 14.1% on the 262 229 TEUs landed in the same period last year. Total full boxes shipped deepsea (exports) was 75 548 TEUs in January, up 4.5% on the 72 313 TEUs of January 2010. February’s total was 83 233 TEUs, down 3.7% on the 86 429 TEUs of the previous February. March saw shipment of 56 365 TEUs, down 3.2% on the 58 226 TEUs the same month last year. For the first quarter, the total of these exports was 215 146 TEUs, down a marginal 0.8% on the 216 968 TEUs in the same period in 2010. But, said Iain McIntosh, marketing manager of Mitsui OSK Line (MOL), he had additional container movement figures that showed up an interesting fact. “Dry cargo in the first quarter was actually up 1.4%. It was reefer cargo that was weak, with a decline sufficient to drop the total overall figure into the minuses.” The story for breakbulk cargo was quite a good read, with a total of 4 598 229 tonnes being handled at the six ports this first quarter, a jump of 53.5% on the 2 996 520 t of last year. Durban was well and away the biggest player in the b/b sea cargo industry.