Yet more information has emerged about what harbour carriers in Durban claim are causing serious cargo movement challenges, including straddle carrier equipment failure, port management failing to find lasting solutions, and an old complaint laid at the door of Transnet – corruption.
Apart from transporters saying that the current truck-slot booking system (*) has been flawed since inception, the awarding of slots for fetching and returning containers at Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2 is blatantly unfair and appears rigged in favour of some companies that often don’t use allocated slots.
Security personnel have been furnished with evidence of corruption within the system, harbour carrier Ashley Govender told Freight News in an exclusive interview, but nothing has come of it.
“Corruption is still rife within Transnet and they have the means to check who gets more bookings than other transporters, who made the bookings, and how they made the bookings.
“Transnet not wanting to take a stand against corruption within their own ranks is part of the reason why the booking system is not working,” said Govender.
Another harbour carrier who shared Govender’s sentiments is Sue Moodley.
She said the current snarl-up of trucks outside DCT, waiting to gain access to Pier 2 because of a fundamentally flawed booking system made worse by favouring certain transporters over others, is nothing new.
“Two years ago we raised the fact that there were irregularities with the awarding of slots, especially regarding bookings made by outside people. Some companies were getting slots while others weren’t.
“Many times it was taken up with senior management at Transnet, but nothing has been sorted out.”
Moodley said she agrees with the general consensus held by harbour carriers that Transnet is ill-informed about the roadside chaos stemming from container congestion at DCT.
“I don’t think Transnet has the ability to see right now what the situation is on the ground. They’re ill-advised and as long as that remains to be the case, the only time it’s going to change is when people who are serious about accountability are appointed in the right positions of responsibility.”
Moodley added that competency problems at Transnet seem to be an endemic issue, as it’s become evident from the actions of junior staff that there’s a lack of leadership.
Govender said the excuse offered in a previous post about the booking system by the parastatal’s Group CEO, Michelle Phillips (**), that a fibre connectivity failure over the weekend resulted in the recent backlog of trucks amassing outside DCT, is nonsense.
“Let’s take last weekend out of the situation. They have had the same problem for the last three to six months. It shows how ill-informed she (Phillips) is about what’s happening on the ground. Yes, there was a connectivity issue but it was with one tower in the terminal. To blame it on fibre failure is a very poor excuse, he said.
Fellow harbour carrier Eugene Ramiah said the logistics utility has been approached for some time with possible solutions to long-standing truck build-up problems.
Referring to a back-of-port rail siding facility that could be used for container stacking and movement, CX Bay, he said Transnet approves in principle that the facility could alleviate congestion at DCT but added that transporters would have to pay for using CX Bay.
He said it has has also been pointed out that other facilities within the port itself, Pier 1 at DCT and “Point”, are empty but suggestions that containers be moved to available empty spaces, including depots, have led nowhere.
The harbour carriers who belong to three organisations formed to find solutions to truck build-up outside DCT – Change in Logistics, Harbour Carriers Association and Positive Freight Solutions – agree that essentially Transnet doesn’t care about road freighters.
One of the operators, Aven Naidoo, said it should be remembered that Transnet is a service provider to the shipping lines, and when equipment is delayed because of congestion, the lines will continue charging detention and demurrage.
“Someone is making money but it’s not us,” said Naidoo.
* This is a developing story in an ongoing exposé about Transnet’s truck-slot booking system.
** Phillips responded by WhatsApp with the following:
"Ashley Govender contacted me in May and told me about corruption at Pier 2. He said he had information that he would forward to me. I have not received (anything) to date.
"At the time, as is still the case today, Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is suffering with unreliable equipment, this is why equiment is on order and OEMS are on site.
"In addition to this and other issues, there was a fibre break over the weekend. This is not an excuse, it is a fact. It is correct that the shipping lines are the contracting parties with TPT In respect
of containers.
"The truckers are contracted to either the shipping lines or the freight forwarders. We do not have any commercial contracts with road transport who call at our container terminals.
"Again, where there is evidence of corruption please share this with us so that we are able to act. We will not hesitate to bring in the authorities to ensure that people are arrested for committing criminal offences in our space."
