SAECS tentatively returns to Durban

Terry Hutson
THE SOUTH Africa Europe Container Service (SAECS) will test the water and send one of its container ships back to Durban tomorrow (February 2).
This follows the
decision in early January to terminate all SAECS voyages in Port Elizabeth because of delays at the Durban container terminal. The first ship scheduled to return is DAL Kalahari due in Durban on 2 February and sailing 4 February.
According to Frits Bijker, CEO of SAECS, the decision resulted from the successful meeting held in Durban recently between SA Port Operations (SAPO), National Port Authority of SA and the Container Liner Operators Forum.
He said the outcome of the meeting gave SAECS
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members sufficient confidence to believe that SAPO would now seriously tackle the issues at hand and show significant improvement in productivity and container terminal efficiency in Durban to warrant a return.
"SAECS intends keeping the situation in Durban and the logistics chain to the hinterland under close scrutiny. If the situation again deteriorates to such an extent that the our named day service along the European coast is in danger, we will not hesitate to take similar drastic measures."
He said that SAECS believed that offering a reliable name day service to the main European gateways was a key factor in promoting the South African product with European clients, enhancing the competitiveness of South African goods and reliability of its suppliers.
"The quicker SA Port Operations' management accepts that premise and starts living it right through their organisation, the quicker improvements will be felt by all stakeholders in the process."