Container operations at South Africa’s port terminals have significantly improved, reaching a daily average of 8,246 containers, according to the latest Container Movement Update from the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) and Business Unity South Africa (Busa). This marks a notable recovery following two weeks of declining activity.
In late August, container movement had dropped from an average of 6,747 containers per day on August 23 to 6,537 on August 30. By September 6, however, the daily average had rebounded by 26.1%, signaling a strong recovery.
Despite this improvement, port operations along South Africa’s coast remain affected by lingering bad weather, with Table Bay frequently being windbound.
The update highlighted that “adverse weather, high swells, and equipment breakdowns” were the main obstacles impacting port activities.
At the Port of Cape Town, network issues and a distress vessel at Berth 601 further contributed to operational delays.
Meanwhile, Durban’s port has also been severely impacted by weather, particularly unpredictable swells. In a recent interview with Freight News, Earle Peters, the chief executive for terminals at the port, confirmed that these swell conditions delayed a vessel by approximately 31 hours.
Similarly, strong winds and stormy seas disrupted container movement at Eastern Cape ports, including the Port of Port Elizabeth and Ngqura.
On the land side, rail operations between Durban and Gauteng faced challenges as minimal activity occurred on the ConCor corridor, according to the report.
However, Saaff and Busa noted that efforts were underway to ensure the full resumption of operations across the affected regions.
