The after effects of the monster
storm that hit Durban last
week will continue to be felt at
the port for several weeks to
come.
Serious concerns have been
raised over the port’s ability to
handle the increased volumes
expected in the run-up to
Christmas.
On Friday port managers
held emergency meetings with
industry asking the private
sector to loan any equipment
available to the port whose
equipment was severely
damaged.
At least eight ship to shore
cranes and three RTG cranes
have been damaged.
“This is far worse than most
of us realise,” said a source
who attended the meetings
in Durban. “This port, at
present, is simply not capable
of handling its current volume,
so unless we are planning to
cancel Christmas this year,
finding some solutions are a
priority.”
In a statement Transnet
Port Terminals said cargo
handling equipment had
suffered damage at the Durban
Container Terminal (DCT)
Pier 1 and Pier 2, while there
had been damage to key cargo
handling infrastructure in
the bulk, breakbulk and car
terminal.
TPT spokesman Molatwane
Likhethe said contingency
plans had been put in place to
address the backlog and get
the port up and running as
quickly as possible. On Friday
the provincial cabinet declared
the province an official disaster
area. An application for urgent
funding had been made to
the national government, a
provincial spokesman said.
While clean-up operations
have been progressing well and
the port is operational again, it
is still extremely slow going.
Over and above the
equipment damage, the NatCor
mainline was suspended after
electrical damages to the
infrastructure, and buildings
and other infrastructure in
and around the port were also
affected –including containers,
vehicles and park home offices.
Sue Moodley, chair of the
Durban Harbour Carriers’
Association, told FTW that
the storm had caused major
problems both land and
waterside and that the severe
impact would be felt on
operations for weeks to come.
“Crucial equipment has been
broken,” she said, calling on
industry to be patient as the
port authority and terminal
operators set about restoring
some semblance of normality
after the chaos caused by the
storm.
“It is especially worrying
as this impacts the entire
logistics chain and not just
the port. Attempts are under
way to source equipment from
other ports, but this will take
a few weeks to finalise and
implement. In the interim the
port has called on industry to
assist with any equipment that
they can loan.”
MSC director Glenn Delve
told FTW that the storm was
unprecedented. “I have never
seen anything like it in all my
years in the shipping industry
in South Africa.”
He said four vessels had
been affected during the storm
with the MSC Ines the worst
affected – having landed on
a sandbank closing off the
entrance to the port.
The rudder of the vessel was
damaged and it is believed that
it will take at least a month
to fix.
In the interim, said Delve,
plans were under way for
the transhipment of goods
as the company was doing
all it could to minimise any
inconvenience.
Most carriers contacted
by FTW were looking at
transhipment options.
Ongoing delays in the next
few weeks must be expected.
Delve noted this was
unfortunate as the efficiencies
at the port on the waterside
had been improving
significantly in the past few
weeks.
“Safety is crucial,” said
Moodley. “This is not just a
Transnet crisis but one that we
as an industry are going to
have to deal with together.”
She said much effort was
going into ensuring cargo
was not being rerouted
away from Durban.
“That is the last thing
that industry wants. That
will impact the entire
logistics chain in this city
and will have a massive
after effect. We have to get
the port as f luid as possible
as quickly as possible and
keep vessels stopping here.”
Not everyone is in
agreement. Several freight
forwarders FTW spoke to
said transhipment was the
only option at present.
One carrier, who did not
want to be named, said
waiting in Durban would
be simply too costly and
rerouting and rescheduling
would in all probability be
the way forward. High-level
meetings with carriers were
under way FTW was told.
“The biggest impact of
all of this is going to be
the cost,” said the source.
“Whether we have vessels
outside this port waiting to
berth or if we bypass and
tranship from elsewhere
it all comes down to
increased costs in the end.
This storm comes with a
hefty price tag.”
CAPTION
The 9113-TEU MSC Ines was the worst affected, having landed
on a sandbank closing off the entrance to the port. The rudder
of the vessel was damaged and it is believed that it will take
at least a month to fix.
