South Africa’s Ports Record Strong Container Growth in August Despite Operational Hurdles
South Africa’s container ports delivered stronger-than-expected performance during the week of 4–10 August, according to the latest Cargo Movement Update (CMU) compiled by the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) and Business Unity South Africa (Busa).
The data shows that the country’s ports handled an average of 13,121 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per day over the seven-day period.
This represents a 14.75% improvement for Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) compared to the previous week—equivalent to roughly 1,683 additional container moves every 24 hours.
The Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) Container Terminal led the pack, handling a daily average of 692 TEUs—a total of 6,826 moves for the week.
This marked a remarkable 118% week-on-week increase, reflecting enhanced operational efficiency and favorable weather conditions.
The Durban Container Terminal (Pier 2) also performed strongly, averaging 5,471 TEUs per day with 38,299 moves for the week—a 19% increase from the prior period.
Durban Pier 1 posted a 20% rise, moving 13,167 TEUs, while the Ngqura terminal recorded a 12% increase, handling 15,071 TEUs for the week.
In contrast, the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) showed only marginal improvement. The terminal processed 13,656 TEUs, averaging 1,951 per day—a mere 0.2% week-on-week increase.
According to Jacob van Rensburg, Head of Research and Development at Saaff, overall throughput growth was encouraging.
However, operational constraints such as inclement weather, vacant berths, and equipment breakdowns continued to cause delays across the country’s port system.
Operational Challenges Continue
Cape Town: Vessel ranging, high swells, and adverse weather hampered operations.
Durban: Equipment failures combined with bad weather created significant bottlenecks.
Eastern Cape ports: Strong winds and berth vacancies led to further disruptions.
These factors highlight the ongoing vulnerability of South Africa’s ports to both environmental conditions and infrastructure limitations.
While the week’s results reflect meaningful progress—especially at Gqeberha and Durban—long-term growth will depend on continued investment in infrastructure and equipment.
Addressing weather-related disruptions and improving operational reliability will be critical to sustaining higher throughput levels and meeting South Africa’s growing trade demands.
