Alan Peat THE NEGOTIATIONS towards service level agreements (SLAs) being signed up between the shipping lines and SA Port Operations (Sapo) are progressing satisfactorily, according to Barry New, MD of P&O Nedlloyd. These agreements are designed to monitor the performances of both the lines and the ports in keeping to expected schedules with the penalty of compensatory payments if either party fails to keep its side of the deal. “The SLAs are currently being agreed on a trade-to-trade basis, and discussions are still underway.” He said he would be “surprised” if these were not completed as planned by September.
