Night-duty managers pep up productivity in Cape Town

Ray Smuts A DECISION by the port authorities to ensure that senior managers are on duty at night in the Port of Cape Town seems to be paying dividends, according to Maersk SA MD Peter Ehrenreich. “What we could not understand is that you have nice weather, the same number of people and the same number of cranes, but productivity is down by 50% over day-time operations. We think it was due to no management being there at night to ensure people work. “Now there is tangible evidence of productivity in Cape Town, we would hope of the order of 18 or 19 moves per crane hour, whereas it was at times down to 14 or even 8.” Ehrenreich has reiterated that what needs to happen sooner rather than later, even before concessioning of Durban Container Terminal, is for the government to invest in the ports. “It is evident that business in South Africa must grow and for this to happen we need investment in equipment like cranes, in fact one per 100 metres of quayside. We are saying to government ‘don’t be afraid to invest ahead of concessioning; those people ultimately involved in the process will take over the investment.’ “Government should certainly put as much financial aid into the ports as it does into SAA because the ports are actually making money and I don’t think SAA is.” For South Africa to be in a position to handle the new generation of larger container vessels scheduled for 2005, the time for adequate planning is now. Any delay will translate into missed opportunities, even paralysis, he added.