January wind stoppage swells to 148 hours in CT

RAY SMUTS STAFF AT Cape Town Container Terminal were a mere 45 minutes out on their prediction that work would commence at 10:00 on January 26 after vicious south easterlies halted operations for 44.5 hours - but more bad news was to come later in the day. At 17:00 work stopped for a further nine hours due to the wind, resuming again at 02:00, bringing the total wind stoppage for January to 148.5 hours. At sunrise on Monday (January 30) six container ships lay at anchor; MSC Sandra (berthing delay 30 hours) Louis (delay 42 hours) Nicolas (delay 31 hours), MSC Toulouse (delay 46 hours) Safmarine Mgeni (delay 88 hours) Safmarine Tugela (delay 50 hours). In port were the Ever Good (no delays, discharging 428 and loading 600 boxes), Dal Kalahari (loading 1 100 containers) Anrika Schulte, (loading 674 and disharging 125 boxes). Due in later in the day were MSC Zurich, which was expected to be delayed 40 hours and the Cape Azal, which would be delayed for 48 hours. Import stacks were 77.8% full, export stacks 53.4% full and the total stack percentage 53%. Commenting on the port strike instituted on January 30 - first in Durban and due to reach Cape Town on February 13 – Sapo planning officer David Davids told FTW a contingency plan was in place in terms of which a 75% turnout was expected. Asked if any members of Cape Town Sapo management were likely to be involved in the strike, Davids said although they were allowed to join unions they were not allowed to partake in strike action.