South Africa Ports See 14.7% Weekly Container Throughput Growth, Port Elizabeth Leads
South Africa’s container ports outperformed anticipated throughput targets during the week of August 4–10, according to the latest Cargo Movement Update (CMU).
Compiled from data by the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) and Business Unity South Africa (Busa), the CMU shows an average of 13,121 TEUs handled daily, representing an increase of 1,683 TEUs per 24-hour cycle—a 14.75% daily improvement for Transnet Port Terminals (TPT).
Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) emerged as the top performer, averaging 692 TEUs daily and totaling 6,826 moves for the week, a 118% week-on-week increase.
At Durban Container Terminal Pier 2, daily handling averaged 5,471 TEUs, totaling 38,299 for the week, marking a 19% increase.
Durban Pier 1 and Ngqura also saw gains of 20% and 12%, handling 13,167 and 15,071 TEUs, respectively.
The Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) recorded 1,951 TEUs daily, or 13,656 for the week, reflecting a modest 0.2% increase.
Jacob van Rensburg, Head of Research and Development at Saaff, noted that delays persisted due to inclement weather, vacant berths, and equipment challenges.
Cape Town faced operational disruptions from high swells and vessel ranging, while Durban’s delays were caused by equipment breakdowns and adverse weather.
The Eastern Cape ports also experienced operational slowdowns from strong winds and berth vacancies.
A Cape Town port source dismissed a recent Freight News report citing 2024 data to criticize the port’s 2025 performance, highlighting that the deployment of new rubber-tyred gantry cranes at CTCT is already improving operations.
