Freight News has heard from a reliable source who ships containers out of Cape Town that Transnet yesterday morning held a virtual meeting with freight industry representatives for about two hours.
The industry insider, who attended the 9am intervention called to address ongoing cargo processing delays at the port, said it had been a very good meeting, attended by several stakeholders.
Most notably among the shipping lines was CMA CGM.
“We need more shipping lines to attend these meetings,” the source said in relation to news this week that major ocean freight services such as SAECS and Maersk had decided to exclude the port from their main rotation schedule.
With reference to some shipping lines who have decided to discontinue calling direct at Cape Town but did not attend yesterday’s meeting, the source said: “It’s pointless going to the press about not calling at Cape Town anymore but then not attending meetings initiated by Transnet to address capacity problems.”
With regard to a recent report that the Port of Cape Town was only managing three gangs of operational personnel working ships, the source said industry had been informed in the meeting that the gangs were back to four.
Yesterday Mike Walwyn, Western Cape director of the SA Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff), said four shifts of staff working round the clock was a requirement for the port to run optimally.
This, however, has been a shortcoming at the port ever since operational staff started staying at home because of Cape Town’s high Covid-19 infection rate.
The source, who spoke to Freight News on condition of anonymity, said yesterday’s meeting had been a step in the right direction for Transnet, previously accused by industry of not duly informing freight concerns about what was being done to restore efficiencies at the port.
“They realise they have to do something to improve matters and it’s now up to industry to participate in the meetings.”
Information received elsewhere confirmed the source’s indication that the meetings between Transnet and industry about the Port of Cape Town would in future be held on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at 9am.
Calls by Freight News yesterday morning for confirmation from Transnet about the initial meeting were left unanswered at 10am while the meeting had already been under way for at least an hour.
Further efforts by this portal to seek information from the freight and rail parastatal earlier today also came to nought.
We will, however, endeavour to inform industry however we can about what is discussed about resolving the causes of delays and congestion at the Port of Cape Town.
