The last week’s port operations were once again plagued by inclement weather, equipment shortages, and malfunctions. The Port of Cape Town experienced bad weather again this week, resulting in a loss of numerous operating hours. Additionally, the new shore tensioning machines’ projected arrival date has been moved to the second week of December. By the conclusion of the week, 63 vessels were anchored in Durban, indicating that backlogs and congestion were still present. At Pier 2, on the other hand, there were still equipment issues as only 55 straddle carriers were in use by the end of the week. Additionally, TFR has not supplied many reports this week, thus it is unable to provide precise information regarding the state of cable theft and vandalism on our train network.
Key Notes:
- An average of ~8 329 containers was handled per day, with ~8 120 containers projected for next week.
- TNPA stats for October: containers: down by ↓20% (m/m), up by ↑55% (y/y), but down by (YTD). Total bulk: down by ↓1% (m/m) but up by ↑10% (y/y). Vehicles: down by ↓13% (m/m) and up by ↑30% (y/y).
- Rail cargo handled out of Durban amounted to 2 834 containers, up by ↑8% from last week.
Cross-border queue times were unchanged (w/w), with transit times ↑1,7 hours (w/w); SA borders increased by ~3,3 hours, averaging ~13,0 hours (↑34%); Other SADC borders averaged ~7,7 hours (↑33%). - Global freight rates have subsided again and are down by ↓2% (or $35) to $1 469 per 40-ft container.
- Global air cargo is stable compared to the previous week, with a ↑2% increase in average rates.
Port operations – General:
- Port operations in the last week were once again bedevilled by poor weather conditions as well as equipment breakdowns and shortages.
- Adverse weather returned to the Port of Cape Town this week as several operational hours were lost while the estimated time of arrival for the new shore tensioning units has been shifted to the second week of December.
- The backlogs and congestion persisted in Durban, as there were 63 vessels at anchor by the end of the week, while equipment challenges at Pier 2 persisted, as the terminal had only 55 straddle carriers in operation towards the end of the week.
- Furthermore, minimal reports were received from TFR this week, and therefore, no accurate reports can be provided on the cable theft and vandalism situation on our rail network.