The adverse weather conditions experienced in Cape Town, where gale force winds gusted at speeds of up to 60 knots last week, forcing harbour authorities to suspend services, has once again highlighted the plight of South Africa’s underperforming ports.Speaking to FTW at the time the storm brought the harbour to a standstill, DAL Agency managing director David McCallum said: “We’ve had to cut and run because we can’t sit around and wait indefinitely. With what’s happening in Durban, it already slows everybody dow n.”He stressed that in order to make European slots in time, it meant that they had to leave some boxes behind.“But we have fresh produce on board and we have to get our cargo to market.”McCallum also emphasised that “inherent risk” was a well-known aspect of the shipping industry.“Unfortunately what we’re seeing at the moment is regarded as over and above what would ordinarily be regarded as acceptable risk, as is the case in Cape Town where you need a bit of f lexibility in your schedule.”However, “when delays are exacerbated by the 10-15 days that you have to sit outside Durban, shipping lines have to come up with contingency me a su re s”.As for South African ports in general, McCallum claims that contingencies have general become the rule and not the exception.“Every single time that we come to South Africa we have to look at adjusting our schedules so that we can accommodate inefficiencies in our ports – and then the winds come and knock you for a si x.”Another shipping line FTW spoke to said the effect of the wind on the Port of Cape Town meant that one of its vessels, the Elbspirit, had been delayed for more than six days.Having docked last Wednesday, the 3500 TEU-vessel had a relatively small load of 200 boxes to off load but by Friday, when howling winds were predicted to last into early this week, had still not finished discharging the cargo it had shipped from Durban.Waiting to load about 300 boxes, the MSC vessel was only expected to leave for New York by about Wednesday this week, the source said.He added at the time that incoming lines would most likely round the peninsula and make for harbours like the Port of Ngqura and others along the country’s south coast to off load cargo that would then have to be transhipped back to C a p e To w n .“It adds tremendous cost to supply chain efficiencies that are ultimately passed on to consumers.”McCallum agreed.“Whatever the cause of delay,” he said, “carriers can’t be expected to carry the can. Shippers must absorb the cost and unfortunately it f lows to consumers.”He said it was encouraging to see that concerted efforts were under way to speed up throughput in ports like Durban.New equipment and the employment of experts and specially trained people can only help to alleviate congestion through preventative maintenance programmes that are strictly adhered to.“Unfortunately there must also be a change of culture, and that takes longer. The fact that you have middle- and senior management going on leave in December when every bit of effort is needed to sort things out is worrying. You don’t go on holiday when Rome is burning.”McCallum said that for the last 8-12 weeks, coping with delays because South Africa’s ports weren’t being run properly necessitated “continuous contingency me a su re s”.As a result of ongoing holdups at port, he said that DAL Agency consistently communicated with its customers about what was happening on the ground.
INSERT: You don't go on holiday when Rome is burning.– David McCallum