Road/rail backlogs inhibit growth

Confidence in the port is growing RAISING PRODUCTIVITY levels inside the Durban Container Terminal is all very well but road/rail access is equally critical. “This has been put on the back burner for some time,” says MSC Logistics MD Lawrie Bateman, “and although the tender for the Khangela Bridge has been awarded, completion is a long way off. "One would expect that interim procedures would have been implemented to alleviate the bottlenecks at those access points because continued backlogs on rail and road will be a major inhibitor to future productivity.” MSC Logistics routes the majority of its import/ export traffic through Durban. “This is especially the case for Southern African countries, which is why we closely monitor matters relating to Durban harbour.” On the Durban - Johannesburg route, 80% of the company’s traffic moves by rail. “The numbers involved would not be feasible by road. And although adequate, there’s room for improvement in the rail service. What a pity that the August 2000 announcement that R15 billion was to be spent in upgrading was only ratified in 2006.” In terms of the port itself, Bateman believes that confidence is growing. “This because SA Port Operations and National Ports Authority have finally admitted that while they are, on average, handling present volumes to the satisfaction of the shipping lines, there is much more still to be done. “With Durban handling 66% of all South African container volumes, it is laudable that Transnet is involving all affected parties in its proposal to expand into the Bayhead area. And now that Pier 1 Container Terminal is coming on stream ahead of schedule we look forward to Sapo’s innovative change in operating procedures which will hopefully improve productivity levels.” 2006 was a good year for MSC Logistics, which saw increased volumes across all routes handled, says Bateman. “To date 2007 looks even brighter as month by month volume records are broken, especially to Botswana and Swaziland.”