US ships secure priority berthing at all SA ports

Global port congestion forces lines to act
JOY ORLEK
IN A move guaranteed to speed up ship turnaround at South Africa’s ports, Safmarine's US service has secured priority berthing windows at all local ports on its schedule. Implemented two months ago, it’s a benefit that comes at a premium price to the carrier – and for shippers who demand a time-definite, predictable service, the additional cost is likely to be passed down the line. In simple terms it allows Safmarine vessels that arrive within their berthing windows priority access to the quay. “It’s like easy pass on the toll roads,” New York-based Safmarine Inc president John Boudreau told FTW last week. “You can wait in line with the rest or you can breeze through - only easy pass gives you a discount whereas this solution comes at a premium.” It’s a crucial means of maintaining schedule integrity in an increasingly difficult environment. “There are congestion delays around the world, including the States,” says Boudreau. “With ships chartered on a daily rate, two or three days of dead time outside the port is very costly.” And it’s a scenario that is unlikely to change any time soon. “On average we have seen 8-9% growth in global trade over the past 20 years, much of that import traffic into the US,” says Boudreau. “Those are huge numbers to start with and it doesn’t take long for 8-9% growth to double up.” The domino effect on infrastructure isn’t an easy one to solve. “You can double the size of the vessels and that way you have a more economical way of carrying the volumes, but that needs double the capacity on the terminal and double the capacity on the railroads, in warehouses and on the roads. “You can’t solve it by fixing just one piece - you need to take a holistic view of it and commit to the entire process, which is a huge focus in America.” And it's equally true in South Africa where transport Minister Jeff Radebe has repeatedly called for a harmonised approach. The National Freight Logistics Strategy is part of that, aiming to promote the physical, operational and regulatory integration of railways, road transport, ports and air freight, in order to address the problems of moving freight across the country and around the world as cost-effectively as possible.