Strong winds at the Port of Cape Town have led to berthing delays of about one and a half days, port authorities have told this morning’s twice-weekly stakeholder session between Transnet and the freight industry.
According to a report issued earlier, there was one vessel alongside the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) with another two waiting to dock today – “weather dependent”.
The statement from this morning’s meeting said: “CTCT has been wind bound since 20:00 last night.”
Surging waves over last weekend also contributed to delays at the port, resulting in the sporadic closing of gates.
Further information shared following this morning’s session include the news that the port has taken delivery of four rubber-tyred gantries (RTG).
The RTGs will be assembled on-site and will most likely be ready for use towards the end of November.
In addition, a seventh gang of operational staff should be ready for service towards the beginning of November, allowing for more berthing capacity.
In keeping with stepped-up efforts to improve throughput efficiency at the port, it is felt that a truck booking system currently being implemented “will go a long way in alleviating congestion”, the report said.