Terry Hutson STRONG WINDS that gusted to gale force forced the closure of the strategic Durban container terminal last Wednesday (July 2, 2003), increasing average shipping delays to an expected 34 hours. The terminal was closed at 10:00 on Wednesday after exceptionally strong winds struck the Durban area. SA Port Operations personnel immediately put into operation a recovery plan to make up for the time lost. Since the shipping lines imposed a US$100 surcharge per TEU because of delays at the three South African container terminals, which they said would not be lifted until all the ports had reduced delays to below an average of 16 hours as measured over a period of a minimum of two months, DCT delays have averaged between 12 and 20 hours. The terminal handles about 65% of the country’s container imports and exports, and had absorbed increased turnover that had reached record levels. However the shoreside gantry cranes used at the terminals remain highly sensitive to wind and automatically shut down once winds reach a certain speed, before they become dangerous to workers and infrastructure.
