Lack of gantries not a problem
THE WEEKLY Good Hope Express container service haS switched port calls from Durban to East London and so far three of NYK's vessels (which make up the majority share of Good Hope Service) have called at the Eastern Cape port.
This follows ongoing delays of up to 110 hours at Durban
Although this is not a permanent arrangement, we are finding the switch is working extremely well, said NYK's Jerry Hookins. All our ships have their own 40-ton gear and the lack of gantries at East London does not present a problem. The port authorities at East London have bent over backwards to assist us – it's actually been quite refreshing. Nobody has ever said 'no' - the level of enthusiasm among Portnet people there is unbelievable.
Hookins says that his company has gained at least 2,5 days for their clients and 4,5 days for themselves as a result of the diversion. It was a win/win situation for everyone, he said, with clients, the Good Hope Service and Portnet all benefiting. Vessels are scheduled to call every Sunday, and sail on Monday evening. The new schedule will remain in force until at least the end of July, after which we'll re-assess the situation at Durban. We won't return there until things have stabilised and berthing levels have dropped for at least several weeks, and not before the end of July, he said.
About 10% of containers offloaded at East London are destined for the Eastern Cape, another 20% for Gauteng and the balance for Durban.
Unicorn has virtually synchronised its feeder service with that of the Good Hope Service and there have been no delays in transhipping to Durban, where Unicorn's feeder service has not been adversely affected by delays at the container terminal. Much of Good Hope's traffic is linked with the motor industry, where just-in-time principles apply.
By Terry Hutson
