SA port upgrades take their toll

Ongoing refurbishment and upgrades at ports in South Africa are taking their toll. According to Mumtha Naidoo of Bollore Africa Logistics, while the upgrades – especially at the Port of Durban – will pay off in the long run, shippers are paying the price with delays in the delivery of cargo and shipped on board dates. “This can be very frustrating to end customers,” he said. “At the same time the slow turnaround of trucks through the staging areas often means trucks in the queue do not get in by stack closure which compounds the delay and cost as the ports are reluctant to entertain late arrivals.” Naidoo said upgrades to the ports of Port Elizabeth and Ngqura in particular were seen as extremely positive as these would open up more emergency alternatives to the Durban port, with carriers calling at both terminals. “Ultimately it is all about cost and delivery,” said Naidoo. “While South Africa’s ports are not losing business to other ports in the region it is still important to take cost and delivery into consideration.” Vernon Pillay of Bollore Africa Logistics group's ship’s agency SOCOPOA agrees saying South African port tariffs are considerably higher than most other ports. “We have to be costcompetitive in the long run but at the same time that means running an efficient operation with minimum delays. When choosing a port of entry the main considerations undoubtedly remain the port costs, the cost of labour and the level of congestion.”