There is a way to stop wind delay

More and more industry role players are calling on Transnet to take action and accept a wind terminal proposal produced by several shipping lines and submitted to Transnet some time ago. The proposal, which would essentially transform the container terminal into a wind terminal by installing equipment that can operate in heavy winds, will see the wind issue addressed once and for all, said Mike Walwyn, chairman of the Port Liaison Forum, an initiative of the Cape Chamber of Commerce. It would mean the return of straddle carriers to the port that in its infrastructure upgrade saw these carriers replaced with 28 new Rubber Tyre Gantries (RTG). “The RTGs make sense when the weather is good and there is no wind. But the reality is that Cape Town has severe winds for months at a time and then the impact is dire as RTGs just don’t operate in wind speeds higher than 72km per hour,” said Walwyn. “The straddle carriers can operate at much higher wind speeds – even up to 90km-per-hour winds.” He said the proposal called for a combination of straddle carriers and RTGs as the industry understood the major capital investment that had taken place around the RTGs. “The call to Transnet is to convert the end of the long quay into an operation using straddle carriers while the eastern end of the quay will continue to use the RTGs. We believe this will allow the port to remain operational during much higher wind speeds than is presently the case.” Transnet Port Terminals chief executive Karl Socikwa said they were addressing the issue. “We believe the RTGs are much more efficient on the whole in the port terminal but we do understand the argument that although the stackers were slower, they worked every day. We are looking at using reach stackers on the western side of the port where most of the reefers are and it is an issue that is high on our agenda,” he told FTW. The impact of wind delays – particularly on the fruit industry, the single biggest exporter in the port – remains severe. INSERT & CAPTION The straddle carriers can operate at much higher wind speeds — even up to 90km-perhour winds. – Mike Walwyn