SAECS adds a vessel to overcome SA port delays

Poor productivity forces consortium's hand POOR PORT productivity has forced SAECS (Southern Africa Europe Container Service) to increase its core fleet from six to seven 3000 teu capacity ships for the sake of schedule integrity. Safmarine, in co-operation with its partner lines, has re-deployed the SA Helderberg on the route between UK/North Europe and Southern Africa. "Under internationally acceptable port productivity standards six vessels in the SAECS core fleet would have been sufficient to provide a reliable, named day weekly service," Safmarine's SA Lines trade executive Ivan Heesom-Green told FTW. "Regrettably the currently low productivity at the ports in South Africa has made it impossible to maintain a reliable schedule, despite increasing speed to the maximum, with significantly higher fuel costs, and by port rationalisation." The SAECS member lines - Safmarine, DAL, Maersk Sealand and P&O Nedlloyd - estimate that collectively some US$10-m in costs have been incurred in addition to normal operating expenses in an attempt to maintain schedule integrity. "The fleet has been increased simply to allow more reserve time in the schedule and not because of increased cargo volumes," said Heesom-Green. In addition to the core fleet, the lines operate a second string, known a the intermediate service, also providing a named day weekly service in the same trade lanes but with a different port rotation. The lines are closely monitoring the ability of the six ships in this service to maintain reliable schedules.