Containerisation gains across South Africa’s sea sector suggest consistently rebounding volumes week-on-week (w-o-w), with consecutive throughput increases of 22.23% and 14.99% supporting January’s port optimism.
TEU numbers since the first week of the year started at 7 405, decreased by 16.42% to 6 189, but climbed back to 7 565 for week three before ending the month on a relative high of 8 699 boxes handled.
If weather challenges hadn’t persisted, the latest Cargo Movement Update (CMU) improvement figures could have been even better.
Compiled by the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) and Business Unity SA (Busa), the update received on January 30 says: “Port operations, though still challenged by weather conditions in some instances, showed a strong recovery, with vessel delays reducing and waterside operations increasing.”
Transnet Port Terminals added to quayside performance through exemplary machine management.
“Equipment availability remained steady throughout the week, with most terminals reporting a near full complement of cranes and a strong support of landside equipment,” the CMU says.
At the end of the first month of 2026, identified as a year to watch for Transnet whose turnaround strategies under CEO Michelle Phillips have attracted investor appetite of R42 billion for the parastatal’s R138bn debt pile, Saaff and Busa remain upbeat about port prospects.
The latest CMU highlights the memorandum of understanding Transnet has signed with Port of Antwerp-Bruges International and the Antwerp Port Training Centre (Apec) to modernise South Africa’s ports through cooperation on digitalisation, sustainability, corridor development, training and EU Global Gateway-linked investment.
Cooperation with Apec and others will be overseen by a joint monitoring committee.
