Publisher: FreshPlaza.com (www.freshplaza.com)
Transnet Port Terminals, the state-run ports authority, has declared force majeure at the Cape Town Container Terminal and the Cape Town Multi-Purpose Terminal for the third time in six months in response to a power failure that started on Monday night.
Power was restored by Tuesday evening but by Wednesday, force majeure had not yet been lifted by Transnet Port Terminals.
Approximately 1,350 containers containing stonefruit, table grapes and blueberries for the EU and the UK were left for 28 to 36 hours without power. Some exporters retrieved their containers from the stacks (which necessitates a temporary re-import of the fruit back into South Africa) to get the fruit back to a privately-run depot.