Even with the rise in traffic, this week’s spills, bad weather, equipment failures, and shortages mostly affected port operations. Some operational delays this week were brought on by union meetings and the rainy weather in Cape Town, while equipment malfunctions and sounding operations accounted for the majority of delays in Durban. Operational constraints in the Eastern Cape were mostly caused by agent delays and unfavorable weather. The pilot boat’s out of commission caused some operational delays for the Port of Richards Bay at the same time. This week, there were also significant delays at the Port of Port Elizabeth due to spillage aboard the Maersk Valencia. On the other hand, no significant events interfered with ConCor train operations.
Key Notes:
- An average of ~8 878 containers was handled per day, with ~9 069 containers projected for next week.
- Rail cargo handled out of Durban was reported at 3 114 containers, up ↑13% from last week.
- Cross-border queue: ↓0,9; transit: ↑0,1 hrs; SA borders: 12,1 hrs (↑2%); SADC borders: 5,1 hrs (↑2%).
- Drewry’s “Container Port Throughput Index” saw a ↑0,4% increase in May 2024, reaching 114,2 points.
- Spot rates finally decreased (by ↓2,2%, or $131) and is trading at $5 806 per 40-ft container
- Analysis of the full global market reveals that worldwide tonnages were up ↑12% for H1 2024.
Port operations – General:
- Despite the increase in volume, port operations were mainly disrupted by spillages, inclement weather conditions, equipment breakdowns and shortages this week.
- Elsewhere, union meetings and rainy weather caused some operational delays in Cape Town this week, while equipment breakdowns and sounding operations constituted the majority of
delays in Durban. - Agent delays and adverse weather mainly constrained operations in the Eastern Cape.
- At the same time, the Port of Richards Bay experienced some operational delays due to the pilot boat being out of commission.
- Spillage on the Maersk Valencia also caused extensive delays at the Port of Port Elizabeth this week.
- Conversely, no major incidents disrupted rail operations on the ConCor.
Read more:
Cargo Movement Report – Full Report
Cargo Movement Report – Summary Report