Harbour carriers predict ongoing crisis for DCT

Harbour carriers have issued a plea for improved capacity in the container terminal to alleviate the road congestion.
ALAN PEAT TOUGH TIMES from now to December are forecast by Malcolm Sodalay of Sammar Investments and chairman of the Durban harbour carriers division of the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff). “The traffic congestion currently being experienced will be an ongoing crisis outside the gates of Durban container terminal (DCT) and the New Pier container terminal,” he told FTW. “Although there are plans of action in motion as advised by terminal management at our July meeting with them, there are no short-term solutions that will alleviate the traffic congestion.” Terminal management, said Sodalay, believed that truckers were not making adequate use of the third shift and were causing the congestion by making optimum use of the morning shift going into the terminal peak period. It has requested that truckers need to spread their deliveries/collections - utilising all three shifts adequately. “Unfortunately,” Sodalay added, “this is not possible from a trucking point of view as all role players within the supply chain do not operate on a 24/7 basis. “We also believe that transhipment containers add to the problem by taking up a large number of ground slots.” The carriers believe that efforts must be focused on improving capacity in the container terminal. “This,” Sodalay said, “will alleviate the road congestion. “We have made a few suggestions to terminal management that we believe can help alleviate some of the congestion in the short-term. “We are scheduled to meet again on August 19 for further discussions - but, in the meantime, we must operate smartly to keep our costs down.”