Ports in South Africa have been inundated with a myriad of challenges over the past few years, causing delays in operations and financial losses which have frustrated agricultural exporters to no end.
Port of Cape Town port manager Rajesh Dana said despite the many challenges, mainly due to weather conditions, as National Ports Authority (TNPA) they remain committed to maintain a high level of efficiency and reliability in operations.
Following a concern from stakeholders such as the fruit industry, the government has announced a R47 billion bailout for Transnet in a bid to support its recovery plan.
Tiisetso Manoko spoke with Dana to understand their plan to reduce the waiting period for cargo and methods put in place to ensure efficiency when it comes through goods that need to be transported.
Tiisetso Manoko: Please share with us the 2024 outlook in terms of the port managing the influx of goods coming in and export of products.
Rajesh Dana: The Port of Cape Town has adopted an approach of proactively collaborating with the entire transport logistics chain. A platform was established for engagement and collaboration with all members of the maritime transport logistics chain, including the terminal operators and entities who offer services in the port, trucking associations, shipping lines, and cargo owners.
This approach has contributed to increased transparency of port operations, collaborative research in combating adverse weather conditions, and the reduction of marine shipping delays.
The Port of Cape Town is advocating for “night runs” at the port. The entire logistics chain does not operate 24/7 which results in extreme peaks during the day, and a very low take-up at night.
What has been the impact of agricultural products and the challenges of the sector the port has encountered?
The Port of Cape Town operations are mostly impacted by adverse weather conditions such as strong winds during the summer season and long wave and high swells during the winter season.
These weather phenomenas have a severe impact on operations where operations must seize for 24 to 48 hours at a time. This unfortunately results in an operational backlog where both dry and refrigerated cargo is impacted – this includes all agricultural products handled in the Port of Cape Town.
The port supports an agricultural hinterland that is world-renowned for the quality of its produce.
What are the main challenges you as management are faced with and what are the possible solutions?
The main challenges the port is faced with are adverse weather, and terminal equipment. Cape Town suffers from four natural weather phenomena that directly impact the port operations.
Firstly, long wave powerful waves that destabilise vessels docked in the port, causing safety and efficiency issues when loading and discharging cargo.
Secondly, high swells. To counteract this, the port will be introducing a helicopter piloting service to improve efficiency and safety.
Thirdly, the wind restricts the ability to bring vessels into the port and hampers cargo operations. TNPA has partnered with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) to study and combat extreme wind disruptions in the Port of Cape Town.
Lastly, weather phenomena impacting on port operations is fog. TNPA is reviewing and investigating ways to address this phenomenon.
The terminal operators have plans in place to address the various equipment challenges to ensure increased equipment availability to optimise operations and improve efficiencies.
Could you explain the agreement between the port and CSIR to combat extreme wind disruptions?
TNPA and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) signed a memorandum of agreement to study and combat extreme wind disruptions in the Port of Cape Town. CSIR has partnered with three academic institutions in South Africa.
Climate specialists at the University of the Witwatersrand are studying the seasonal climate patterns that result in extreme winds to establish trends and whether the wind is intensifying with time, and how the wind patterns in the Cape Peninsula and the port are likely to change because of climate change.
Researchers at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of Cape Town are examining the current and future economic impact of these disruptions on specific value chains to estimate the financial losses and assess the required investment into adaptation measures to deal with the problem.
What will be your message to exporters regarding the Port of Cape Town for the year ahead and beyond?
Strategic partnerships and alignments are critical for a successful and the integrated maritime transport logistics chain and whilst the Port of Cape Town operations have shown improvement, we strive to meet the needs of our stakeholders and contribute to the economic vitality in the region.
TNPA continues to collaborate and partner with all stakeholders to optimise the value proposition of the port.
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