Team work drives up ship loading productivity

BY DRIVING the philosophy of productivity and teamwork with Sapo in the Port of Cape Town, Bidfreight Port Operations (BPO) has improved the ship loading of export cement from 1 500 to 5 000 tons a day, significantly reducing the port stay of vessels. A subsidiary of the Bidfreight Terminals Division of holding company Bidvest, BPO was established through the merger of Rennies Cargo Terminals and South African Stevedores. Its strategic focus is the improvement of ship turnaround productivity and the provision of consistently high terminalling service standards, says BPO regional director Brian Carey. “This vision has been firmly grasped by the Western Cape operations based in Cape Town and Saldanha Bay. “ Recognising the key role played by its skilled workforce in all the ports, training and staff advancement are high on the BPO list of priorities, says Carey. “BPO also has long and stable relationships with the various unions.” In addition to its stevedoring operations for major exporters Saldanha Steel, Duferco and Namakwa Sands, the Saldanha Bay branch operates an export heavy minerals terminal on behalf of another major exporter. The facility runs its own rail system within the terminal offering additional services like reclaiming and sampling of products and delivery to the vessel. In line with its commitment to safety protocols BPO Saldanha Bay has both an ISO 9001 : 2000 and NOSA rating certification. The environmental ISO 14 000 certification is imminent and the branch should be applying for its 14 000 certification around mid year