DURBAN, South Africa's big seaport, has outdone its longstanding reputation for inefficiency by declaring it will take as long as 15 weeks to clear the 60 ships awaiting turnaround in the harbour, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.
Port officials say it is likely to take until 2024 and possibly till February to clear the current congestion that has built up.
Consistently at the bottom of port rankings for efficiency, Durban is facing a crisis with 63 vessels reportedly waiting offshore and importers now saying they will not have expected merchandise in time for Christmas.
'The problem of port congestion is a result of underinvestment in equipment and its maintenance,' said a statement attributed to Transnet chairman Andile Sangqu.
Maersk at the beginning of November imposed a congestion fee between US$200 and $400 per box shipped to South Africa from destinations beyond East and West Africa.
Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) followed with a similar congestion fee and CMA CGM announced at the end of last week it will also be implementing a port congestion surcharge of $200 per TEU bound for Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Cape Town beginning in December.
State-controlled Transnet port operator said they are working to increase the volume at the larger Pier 2 from a pace averaging 2,500 TEU a day over the past four weeks to a target of as many as 4,000 TEU daily.
The historical average has been 3,300 TEU a day. Even with the increased pace at Pier 2, they warn into could be 15 weeks, which would be the beginning of February before they can catch up.
The situation is looking only slightly better at Pier 1. They are going to try to raise the volume from the current 1,200 TEU a day to 1,500 TEU over the next few weeks. They expect it could take seven weeks to clear the backlog at Pier 1.
Durban has consistently ranked low for port operations. The World Bank's 2022 report places Durban at 365 on a list of 370 ports.
Delays are also reported to be building at Richards Bay, which is the large breakbulk port for the mining industry.
SeaNews Turkey
Port officials say it is likely to take until 2024 and possibly till February to clear the current congestion that has built up.
Consistently at the bottom of port rankings for efficiency, Durban is facing a crisis with 63 vessels reportedly waiting offshore and importers now saying they will not have expected merchandise in time for Christmas.
'The problem of port congestion is a result of underinvestment in equipment and its maintenance,' said a statement attributed to Transnet chairman Andile Sangqu.
Maersk at the beginning of November imposed a congestion fee between US$200 and $400 per box shipped to South Africa from destinations beyond East and West Africa.
Mediterranean Shipping Co (MSC) followed with a similar congestion fee and CMA CGM announced at the end of last week it will also be implementing a port congestion surcharge of $200 per TEU bound for Port Elizabeth, Durban, and Cape Town beginning in December.
State-controlled Transnet port operator said they are working to increase the volume at the larger Pier 2 from a pace averaging 2,500 TEU a day over the past four weeks to a target of as many as 4,000 TEU daily.
The historical average has been 3,300 TEU a day. Even with the increased pace at Pier 2, they warn into could be 15 weeks, which would be the beginning of February before they can catch up.
The situation is looking only slightly better at Pier 1. They are going to try to raise the volume from the current 1,200 TEU a day to 1,500 TEU over the next few weeks. They expect it could take seven weeks to clear the backlog at Pier 1.
Durban has consistently ranked low for port operations. The World Bank's 2022 report places Durban at 365 on a list of 370 ports.
Delays are also reported to be building at Richards Bay, which is the large breakbulk port for the mining industry.
SeaNews Turkey