TPT promises return to pre-Navis productivity

Although Transnet Port
Terminals (TPT) last week
celebrated what it described as
“a milestone” in its ambitious
plan of normalising operations,
port users at the meeting at
the Durban container terminal
(DCT) Pier 2 were less than
convinced by the grand
presentation.
According to TPT container
sector acting-COO, Velile
Dube, the intention was
to bring the operations up
to similar levels to those
experienced prior to the
Navis system launch – while
at the same time admitting
that productivity levels
had dropped 17% after the
implementation of the new
system.
His plan also included
accelerated capital expenditure
(Capex), an increase in gangs
to a total of 15 by next year
and improving the reefer
capacity to make the DCT into
“an efficient and competitive
business”.
The first statement, that a
level “similar” to the pre-Navis
days was the target, met with
derision from a shipping line
executive. “We were told that
the new system would vastly
improve on the old Cosmos
system,” he told FTW. “Now
we are led to understand that
we’re only going to achieve the
same performance from this
expensive new system. Crazy.”
Dube’s presentation
suggested that he was
convinced that the latest plan
would achieve an improvement
in the current poor truck
turnaround times and ease
bottlenecks in the handling of
containers at the terminal.
As part of TPT’s 2011
accelerated capex plan,
28 straddle carriers were
purchased for DCT at an
estimated total cost of
R205 million, including
14 straddles with a twin-lift
capability.
“Today we commissioned
four of these straddles,” said
DCT terminal executive,
Hector Danisa, “and intend to
complete the assembly of the
second batch of eight straddles
by end-October. The delivery
of the remainder will be rolled
out until December.”
The new straddles are
“four-high” machines,
meaning they can stack up
to four containers high in a
stack, and will add to stack
capacity of the terminal. The
addition of the 28 straddles
will also enable the terminal to
improve its productivity levels
considerably over the next
year, Danisa added. Current
plans are to have a total of
113 straddles in operation by
January 2012.
TPT also unveiled a new
refrigerated container (reefer)
yard – with the addition of
232 container slots, and a
development costing R9m.
Ultimately the new yard
will have a capacity of 1 068
reefers, designed to allow the
terminal to meet customer
expectations during the next
reefer season.
To handle the equipment,
TPT recruited 70 trainee
operators of lifting equipment
(OLE) in July, and put them
through a certification process
in September. 68 of the OLEs
were released to operations last
week.
Danisa added that the preadvice
system was being rolled
out in phases from this month
(October).