‘Port and rail need to up their game’

The potential of Durban is hinged on the service levels of the ports and the success of container rail movement between Durban and Johannesburg. But unless these services work effectively, volumes will be lost to other ports and modes of transport, says Dennis Trotter, SACD Freight regional director for Gauteng. “During the past 18 months there has been a noticeable drop in import volumes, which is a large component of the SACD Durban business,” says Trotter. “We are however sensing a turnaround, so hopefully the situation will be short-lived.” Since its launch in 1977 when containerisation came to South Africa, the company has seen its fair share of market ups and downs. “We currently have excess capacity in our warehouse and full yard so our immediate challenge is to source additional volumes in what is a very difficult market,” says Trotter. “We are however confident due to our excellent location that we will shortly correct this and that we will see volumes pick up sooner rather than later.” A major frustration for the company, says Trotter, is the recent deterioration of the rail service to and from Johannesburg. SACD has many customers who would use rail – but based on current service levels they are forced to use road from Durban. The company is confident that it has turned the recession corner and has set its sights on the next financial year. “As with all recessions they create opportunities and it is SACD’s objective to capitalise on such opportunities as they come around. We have the capacity and resources to take advantage of new business opportunities and the inevitable return of past volumes,” says Trotter. “We also believe if we have a successful 2010 Fifa Soccer World Cup there will be a positive tail wind for some years to come.” Furthermore SACD Durban has increased undercover warehousing space with the addition of a new 2000 m² warehouse equipped to handle both import and export cargoes, Imtiaz Karim, business development manager SACD Durban added.