Despite the global collapse in trade volumes, and Transnet port figures admitting to a 16.4% decline in total TEUs handled at the Port of Durban in the January-April period (with deepsea imports down 26% and deep-sea exports 23% lower), Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is still accused of “huge” delays in loading containers onto trucks at the harbour. The latest trucker to voice loud complaints to FTW was Raymond Ramjiawan, director of RJ Shipping in Durban, who told us of his frustration in trying to uplift eight containers from the Point Berth, but only succeeding in uplifting four in the allotted time, and having four futile truck trips as a result. “We were due to pick up eight containers at Point berth over a 14-hour period recently,” he said. “But we managed to uplift only four in time – after truck delays of more than eight hours each. “Indeed, some trucks were in the queue for more than 10 hours, and four were not loaded when the shift finished at 05:30.” That effectively meant four trucks suffering over eight hours dead time each, and only 50% of the job completed – a percentage of a trucker’s work day that more than wiped out any margin a trucker would hope for from the day. RJ’s expression of complaint was e-mailed to TPT terminal manager Earle Peters, but despite this – and numerous e-mail and telephone follow-ups – Ramjiawan complained of receiving “no satisfactory response up to now.” “Despite repeated e-mails and telephone calls, Peters’ secretary kept telling us that he was busy in meetings.” And, he added, in the night of lost work time, RJ drivers counted some 70 other trucks standing waiting in the unserved queue. To add insult to injury, Ramjiawan told FTW, “they actually gave us confirmed bookings to come and pick up the boxes”. And he is adamant that he’s not a onceoff whinger about what he termed. “a horrendous delay”. His records reveal that truck stand-down delays at the harbour are “frequent”, and previous complaints have been ignored. Attempts by FTW to contact Peters at TPT before publishing deadline also failed, with him “in a meeting with someone” when our call went through.
