Perishable shippers want short-term solutions to crippling port congestion

An efficient port system is crucial to the success of South Africa’s cool logistics chain. The launch by Transnet of a massive infrastructure drive, which will see the parastatal invest a whopping R300 billion into its operations over the next seven years, does not however address short-term issues. According to Mitchell Brooke, logistics development manager of the Citrus Growers’ Association of South Africa (CGA), the organisation is continuously in talks with Transnet to address issues around port efficiencies and costs. “These discussions are imperative for our industry as it is important for us to know what Transnet’s plans are and how we can fall in line with those plans. But if one looks at their strategy, it is 5-10 years into the future. Our industry has some pressing concerns for the immediate future that have to be addressed.” These include inefficiencies at ports, which include delays. Congestion, especially at the Port of Durban, remains a contentious issue, with vessels often having to wait or being redirected to other ports due to insufficient capacity. Through its market demand strategy Transnet wants to address this capacity problem, but this will take several years to realise. “We are also talking to Transnet about the possibility of using rail to transport citrus to the ports. At present rail options do not really offer a practical and extensive solution, as one cannot expect a grower to have his product on rail for ten days when it will take 16 hours by truck. The very nature of perishable products calls for utmost reliability.” According to Brooke, in an effort to reduce the impact on Durban growers in the northern part of the country, they are being encouraged to use the Port of Maputo in Mozambique. But there are also operational and cost complexities that need to be addressed to allow the port to be a real alternative to Durban. CAPTION: The Port of Maputo ... growers in the northern part of the country are being encouraged to use the Port of Maputo in Mozambique.