‘Time to act against Durban port inefficiencies’

Enough is enough! As the economy of the country is held to ransom by the inefficiency of the Port of Durban, shippers, shipping lines and logistics operators are turning to FTW to lobby industry support to find solutions to a problem that is fast eroding their bottom lines. FTW is besieged by daily calls and emails from readers who have run out of options to vent their frustration. “Navis is one of the issues,” Freight 24’s Ayub Esoop told FTW. “But people issues are the biggest problem – a lack of trained staff, lack of management skills and a lack of problemsolving skills. “Over the past two years there have been issues regarding the night shift between 10pm and 6am in the morning. It’s called the graveyard shift because nothing happens during that shift even though you have vehicles queuing and ships coming in.” Add to that the lack of equipment and lack of trained drivers, and you have a lethal mix. The Freight 24 directors invited FTW to accompany one of its vehicles into the port to experience its efficiencies first hand. “Our president decreed 2011 as the year for job creation,” said Esoop. “In his words –‘We all have a responsibility to work hard to make this a reality’. Unfortunately the Durban port inefficiencies have the reverse impact as channel partners in the supply chain industry are forced to cut jobs, relocate (leaving locals without jobs) or in many cases liquidate.” Durban-based Esoop and his co-directors recently visited Johannesburg and Cape Town to engage with their customers and look at areas of intervention. “We’re asking our clients to get more involved because ultimately every link in the supply chain is being negatively affected. “For us it’s overtime costs, standing time, vehicle detention and huge maintenance costs caused because of protracted delays of queuing to uplift. “For our customers, the slow pace at which the port is releasing containers is impacting on their ability to deliver on time. And TPT is getting off lightly.” Esoop feels that traditional bodies like the SA Association of Freight Forwarders and the Durban Harbour Carriers’ Association are making little impact and believes it’s time for shippers to stand up and be counted. A press statement directed to FTW last week paints a picture of progress and improvement at the port – at odds with the general consensus among shippers and service providers interviewed by FTW. Referring to the issues around Navis, DCT terminal executive, Hector Danisa, conceded that there had been teething problems. TPT addressed these by recalling the supplier to the country, said Danisa, to oversee the terminal’s recovery plans. “The straddle carrier awaiting moves were subsequently reduced from two minutes to 76 seconds in July and even further in September to an average of 20 seconds.” This recovery, he said, enables the straddle carriers to efficiently support the cranes with discharging vessels, resulting in a gradual improvement of Gross Cranes Moves per Hour (GCH). “This had dropped to 18 GCH post Navis launch and is now averaging 22 GCH.” Transnet’s target for Pier 2 is 28 GCH, he said. “Furthermore, the terminal’s SWH has improved to an average of 54 moves.” He conceded that more needed to be done, and further initiatives include a Pre- Advice system for both Pier 1 and Pier 2 that will be rolled out in a phased approach from October. FTW welcomes your input. Email joyo@nowmedia.co.za