PUBLISHER: Freight News (www.freightnews.co.za)
Congestion at the ports of Durban and Cape Town is causing frustration for transporters and other port users who have called on Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) management to take urgent action as staff shortages and equipment breakdowns continued to impact operations at both ports this week.
Port users complained to Freight News this week that some vessels had been forced to berth for more than a week – one for up to 13 days in Cape Town – racking up costs while waiting to be loaded and offloaded, while truck drivers were reporting turnaround times of up to 13 hours.
South African marine consultant, Dave Watts, said the problem appeared to be partly due to TPT’s poor management of staff leave benefits that had been a perennial problem over the festive season, and the ineffectiveness of the controversial truck booking system.
Trucks queuing to enter Durban port stretched for about 800 metres to China Mall in Sydney Road on Monday.