Transporter opts for PE as Transnet upgrades port

AS THE Port Elizabeth harbour gets set for a grand equipment upgrade, a Gauteng-based transporter feels the Eastern Cape port city is a more economical option over delay-ridden Durban. “It is a little bit longer to Gauteng, but there is actually a cost saving or you break-even using PE as the port of entry because Durban is totally congested,” says Freek van Tonder of Yellow Jersey Logistics. The two year-old company uses a third-party for long-haul moves but plans are under way to expand into its own containerised cargo services from PE in the near future. Meanwhile, Transnet Port Terminals CEO Tau Morwe told Nelson Mandela Bay business leaders last month that new equipment, including cranes, was being brought in to replace the ageing equipment at the port. Nine new straddle carriers have been purchased over the past year with a further 11 on order. The port will receive a new large crane to be delivered and operational by February 2008. The Yellow Jersey owner feels that transporters in general don’t have the same culture as freight forwarders. With a background in forwarding, Van Tonder says he is a transporter with a freight forwarder’s mindset.