Rail containers escape rain disruptions

While the heavy rains in South Africa caused floods that disrupted the transport of coal, chrome and corn exports to the ports over the early part of this month, according to Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), this would seem to be only for bulk shipments. The container trade out of SA, meantime, appears to have been only minimally affected. Lawrie Bateman, MD of MSC Logistics, told FTW that because the main Johannesburg- Durban rail link has been running smoothly, container traffic has not been affected. TFR reported last week that on one day alone, rains caused the cancellation of 18 coal-carrying trains and three days later a train carrying chrome derailed.