Local Port Updates – Durban and Cape Town

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Dear Valued Client

Please take note of the attached notices received from Transnet concerning delayed port operations as well as a very important change in operations from Transnet that will impact all importers.

Cape Town Crane Status

Cape Town terminal is currently experiencing Mobile Crane Breakdowns resulting in delayed operations and landside inefficiencies. Please do expect a slower turnaround.

Durban Wind Bound

Durban port became wind bound from yesterday afternoon effecting rail, waterside and landside operations. Please do expect slower operations than normal and delayed deliveries.

‘Pier 1 Waterside & Landside operations is currently standby for wind from 09h00 on 22/08/2024. New / unutilized appointments slots will not be available until Landside resumes Operations. Do not dispatch trucks to the Terminal without appointments, as they will not be processed. Wind speed was recorded at gusts of above 75 km/h. Thanking you for your continued support and co-operation.

Truck Booking System

Congestion experienced at Durban Container Terminals has been a real challenge this year and more recently, effecting the automated truck-slot booking system severely. 

‘The underlying causes for the delay in carriers clearing boxes at DCT Pier 2 included the unavailability of slots, containers waiting in staging, and no new slots being added where pick-up allocations were forfeited, mainly because of transporters being stuck in truck traffic building up outside Pier 2.’

We wish to share with all importers that although there is much review and published notices on solving the current challenges, our daily experience and consulting with numerous service providers in the industry, does bring about further challenges not yet addressed. 

  • Week 33 was the first notice concerning the upcoming trial and changes to the port booking system
  • Transporters have monitored the situation reporting that appointment slots are being issued on the last free storage day. Transnet does extend the free days to accommodate the congestion and delays experienced with the straddle cranes but only for shipments already updated on Navis for storage.
  • Further to the above, Transnet opens 2 daily time slots, which is quite minimal for transporter and almost compared to a lucky draw– slots are filled instantly and either you win or wait until the next opening.
  • Today, Transnet announced possibly opening 4 daily slots to provide more opportunity for transporters to obtain booking appointments, but transporters have not yet reported this system to be live.
  • Shipping Lines however do not entertain any appeals for assistance due to delays caused at port. We wish to bring your attention to this as importers with the minimum 4 free days assigned to their container are more than likely to incur additional detention/demurrage from shipping lines when containers cannot be collected from port in their free time, or the empty container is returned after the free period.  

We urge our customers to please discuss with our forwarding team the possibility of extending their free day period with the shipping line at time of booking and for ‘C’ terms shipments, we ask to please discuss with your suppliers for this extension too.

Our team is available to discuss the above on a case-to-case bases so please do feel to reach out to our Durban office for further assistance.

Transnet increases free import storage days
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/transnet-increases-free-import-storage-days?page=20

Truck booking system is killing our business – harbour carrier
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/truck-booking-system-killing-our-business-harbour-carrier

Transnet plugs away at solving harbour carrier headaches
https://www.freightnews.co.za/article/transnet-plugs-away-solving-harbour-carrier-headaches

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