... but landside operators are still waiting for the rush
THERE ARE two versions of the pre-Christmas rush of sea traffic into SA this year - Portnet happy that October is going to show the usual yearly high of import boxes, but the outside businesses handling them on their landside leg declaring no rush up to the end of October.
The traditional flow of incoming Christmas goodies was always highlighted as starting anytime from August, climbing month-on-month until November, when the pre-festive season traffic boom began to slacken off.
But last year - the start of the Portnet Cosmos computer system, linked to both a pre-Christmas and pre-millennium rush - saw the boom lasting right up to mid-December. And, while traffic lessened in January, the usual New Year slump was not really felt until March.
This year, the usual growth began at end-July - but then slackened in August/ September, before beginning another climb in October.
And, according to Portnet's Durban marketing chief, Ronnie Holtshausen, the figures up to October 24 indicate that October will beat the budgeted total of 102 000 TEU (twenty foot equivalent units).
Much better than last month, he told FTW, and well up on last October's total of 97 650 TEUs.
This, he added, followed his early-2000 forecast that container volumes would pick up in the last quarter of the year. It will still be high in the first quarter of 2001, he told FTW, again looking at his crystal ball, but down, down in the second quarter.
But the others outside the docks who talked to FTW are all still waiting for their share of any boom - with things apparently spread rather thin across the ground in the landside logistics leg.
It doesn't seem to be that busy, said Laurie Bateman, m.d. of MSC Logistics. There has been a slight increase in volumes - but nothing to jump up and down about.
Bateman's reasoning is that the pre-Christmas intake seems to have been spread out more this year.
The same sentiment from Richard Foulds of Cross Country Containers. I wouldn't say it's any great rush, he told FTW.
It's reasonably busy - but nothing over the top.
Anna Grimsley, g.m. of the Durban warehousing complex Cargo Management Centre, also feels that the days of the last minute splurge of cargo might be past. Much the same even spread was noted by Geoff Popple, business development manager at the national container depot operation, SACD (SA Container Depots).
Very slow in July and August, he told FTW. In September, it started picking-up a bit. October is not looking too bad - but no fireworks.
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