Strong gales hamper port operations in KZN

TERRY HUTSON THE STRONG south-westerly gales that blew along the east coast of southern Africa for several days last week (August 29-30) brought delays to shipping and cargo working at Durban and Richards Bay. Late in the week there were about 28 ships lined up outside Durban harbour which had to be closed periodically because of winds gusting at 40 and 50 knots and swells reaching between 3-4 metres and briefly peaking at 5m outside the entrance. The port did however remain open to shipping for most of Tuesday and Wednesday, being closed to all shipping on both nights between midnight and 6.30 on Wednesday and between 22:00 on Wednesday and 07:00 on Thursday. Off Richards Bay where the port closed shortly before 17:00 on Tuesday afternoon winds reached 50 knots peaking at 60kn at times. Likewise a strong swell outside ensured the port remained closed for a lengthy period and three ships in the outer anchorage raised their anchors and headed for the open sea until conditions improved. The Durban Container Terminal is currently catching up on the backlog.