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.”
