The first of four conventional
reefer vessels chartered by
some of South Africa’s top fruit
exporters arrived in Cape Town
recently.
Some 14
exporters,
including Dole
and Capespan,
earlier
this year
announced
their decision
to charter
conventional
reefer vessels
for the
upcoming
windy season
in the city.
This follows
massive losses
incurred
during last year’s grape season
when the port came to a near
standstill due to wind.
In an attempt to avoid the
catastrophe of last year – when
the port stopped operating its
rubber tyre gantries (RTG) at
wind speeds of 60km per hour,
effectively bringing operations
to a halt for hours on end – it
has re-introduced straddle
carriers to
run a joint
operation.
“We expect
to see a vast
improvement
during this
windy season
in comparison
to last year,"
said Mike
Walwyn,
chairman
of the Port
Liaison forum
of the Cape
Chamber of
Commerce.
Six second-hand straddle
carriers from the Port of
Durban were delivered to the
Cape Town Container Terminal
earlier this year after ongoing
complaints that the RTGs were
just not coping in the windy
conditions. One of the major
issues between November 2012
and February this year was
that operations ceased at wind
speeds of around 60km/h,
which resulted in the port being
wind-bound for days on end.
This situation informed the
exporters’ decision to charter
conventional reefer vessels
rather than rely on traditional
container lines to move their
fruit – a decision that will result
in an estimated loss of around
$4 million in freight and
another R4 million in tariffs for
Transnet Port Terminals.
Walwyn said while major
improvements had been made –
not just in terms of introducing
straddle carriers but also in
operating the RTGs in heavier
winds of up to 80km per hour –
a more permanent solution was
needed for the wind problem at
the Cape Town port.
“A wind terminal proposal
was drawn up by industry
role-players and delivered to
Transnet authorities some time
ago, but there is no word yet on
whether this will be accepted
or if there are other plans in
the pipeline to address wind.
The straddle carriers, while
they will make a difference,
are really only a part-time
solution.”
Four new straddle carriers
will be delivered to the port in
January.
In the meantime fruit
exporters have said if port
authorities cannot ensure a
service where their product
gets to market on time they
will continue to charter reefer
vessels.
INSERT & CAPTION
A wind terminal
proposal was
delivered to Transnet
authorities some time
ago, but there is no
word yet on whether
this will be accepted.
– Mike Walwyn
INSERT
$4m TPT's freight revenue loss from
switch to conventional vessels
