Infrastructure upgrades critical – project cargo specialist

The Port of Durban is creaking under the strain of its fast expansion with infrastructure not in place to handle the large volumes of cargo it is attracting. According to Hendriette Theron, global business development officer for BBC Chartering & Logistics, Durban remains an important port for the company which uses it for bunkering for its fleet. “But the port has grown quickly and today seems to be a highly overloaded hub in South Africa,” said Theron. “We believe there is considerable potential for growth but then the hinterland connections have to be further developed and infrastructure improvements are essential.” While these improvements are already in the pipeline, industry has repeatedly said executing them timeously will be crucial to stop further congestion. “This port will always be attractive, but it is going to need some attention soon to address the issues at hand,” said Theron. In terms of volumes in and out of Durban, Theron said the company had recorded a relatively stagnant number of loading port calls and even a decline in discharge port calls. She said this was hopefully going to improve in the near future. CAPTION A BBC Chartering vessel enters the Port of Durban … considerable potential for growth.