TPT revises ro-ro booking procedure

Transnet Port Terminals will introduced a hybrid booking procedure for transporters using the Durban ro-ro terminal at the Point. In an exclusive communiqué to FTW, TPT said that they and the Durban Harbour Carriers’ Association (DHCA) – a part of the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) – had reached a mutual agreement. “The new arrangement promises greater flexibility for transporters and may ease road traffic congestion in the Point area, especially around breakbulk commodities,” Zeph Ndlovu, terminal executive of the ro-ro and Maydon Wharf terminals told FTW. “Based on our engagement with industry via the new transporters’ forum meetings, TPT and the management of the ro-ro terminal have recognised the need for a more innovative approach to managing the fluidity of the terminal. “The long dwell-times and slow evacuation of cargo necessitated the need to revise the previous system. With joint collaboration between the terminal and DHCA, the new hybrid booking system is believed to overcome some of the challenges associated with the previous system.” Currently truckers are expected to comply with pre-booked arrival timeslots stipulated by TPT and based on physical capacity and equipment availability. This was becoming problematic for a host of reasons, according to Ndlovu. Transporters were allocated widely varying time-slots or spent hours queuing while they awaited their slot; the system was badly affected by late arrivals, no-shows or equipment downtime; and administration delays or the long dwell-time of bulky project cargo often slowed down the whole process. Under the new system – to be piloted from February 20 until the end of March – transporters arriving at the terminal during the daytime period between 06:00 and 22:00 will be served on a more flexible ‘first come first served’ basis. However during the under-utilised night shift (22:00 to 06:00), weekends and public holidays, the pre-booked time-slot system will still apply.