New trailers will pump up efficiency at CT port

Port users at the Port of Cape Town are eagerly awaiting the delivery of 25 trailers to service the ship-toshore cranes. Commonly referred to as bathtubs, they are considered the Achilles heel of the port with the cranes often having to stop operations to wait for the truck/ trailer combination to move the containers to the stacks. According to an industry expert, the delivery of 25 of these trailers will make a major difference to the port operations with efficiency expected to be increased dramatically. This comes as the port is currently in the process of commissioning two new ship-to-shore cranes delivered earlier this month. “The port will now have a total of eight cranes of which seven will be operational at any given time,” said Mike Walwyn, spokesman for the Port Liaison Forum (PLF) in Cape Town. “The two new cranes are expected to be operational by no later than June this year. What is more important though is the delivery of the bathtubs as they more often than not affect operations and efficiency. The cranes have to wait for them and that slows everything down.” He said the new equipment – along with the decision by Transnet Port Terminals to merge their container and multi-purpose terminals – was good news for the future of the Cape Town port, believed by some to be the best managed terminal in the country. “Because the former multipurpose terminal is less affected by wind we will see operations improve as this is now part of the container terminal and will be able to continue work in heavier winds,” he said. Wind remains the biggest challenge at the port which often has to cease operations in heavy winds. “The port now operates in winds of up to 82km/h which is the highest in the country,” said Walwyn.