Navis hiccups ‘to be expected’

The new Navis SPARCS N4 terminal operation system entered the scene at the Pier 2 Durban container terminal on March 27, but had a severe case of the introductory hiccups as it came into operation, according to trucking operators who shorthaul containers around the Durban area. It’s to be expected, said Kevin Martin, MD of container haulier Freightliner Transport and chairman of the Durban Harbour Carriers’ Association (DHCA). No new system comes into being without problems, he told FTW, and carriers shouldn’t complain while Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) works its way towards smoother operation. It was a bit of a crash on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday as the system started off, he added, but got better towards week end. However, said Raymond Ramjiwian, MD of RJ Freight, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is happily denying it is having any problems. An SMS he had received from TPT said that truck delays on Monday – the first day of full Navis operation – were “not due to the Navis migration”, but were the fault of a large volume of trucks and the roadworks on the Bayhead Road access. But two of RJ’s trucks were caught up after getting into the staging area, and the early morning arrival took 10 hours to get back out of the terminal, while a late afternoon arrival took 11 hours. Danny Raman of Storm & Co received the same SMS not-guilty plea, but he went and physically checked the Bayhead Road, and found that the roadworks were having no effect on the flow of trucks into the terminal area. It was after that that problems arose, he told FTW, with his company having “mega problems” in the first two or three days after the Navis intro, although he agreed it picked up later in the week. Mathew Grey of Springbok Trucking also complained of having a battle to get his trucks turned around at the terminal. “Horrifying” was how he described the first week under Navis. “We had our guys stuck in ‘A check’ (the first part of the movement through the terminal) for eight, nine, ten – even 11 hours,” he added. “And once in the tower bay, they were waiting for five hours, so it must be TPT’s fault, nothing to do with roadworks, or anything of the like.” The introduction of Navis in Durban is crucial, said TPT, given the port’s position as one of the busiest in Africa. Recognising that a successful transition from the old Cosmos operating system to that of the fully automated Navis system required the full co-operation of all, TPT discussed its preparations and contingency planning with its stakeholders in advance.