Durban Gateway Terminal Faces Fresh Congestion Crisis

South Africa’s biggest container gateway is once again experiencing severe disruption, with vessels facing delays of between eight and 12 days at Durban Gateway Terminal and industry groups calling for an urgent recovery plan.

The South African Freight and Logistics Association and Road Freight Association said this week that the problems are affecting vessel operations, yard activity, IT systems and landside performance at the facility, formerly known as Durban Container Terminal Pier 2.

Average port-call times have risen sharply, increasing from under five days in late June to more than 12 days by late August. At the same time, the number of monthly berth calls has dropped significantly, falling from 34 in May to just 19 this month.

The situation worsened following the terminal’s switch to the Navis N4 operating system in mid-August.

Weekly throughput subsequently fell by 26%, with Durban Gateway Terminal handling 25,793 teu between August 10 and 16. That figure represented only 66% of the terminal’s target.

Some shipping lines are now warning that delays could extend to as much as 20 days. There have also been reports of containers discharged on August 11 remaining inside the terminal two weeks later.

The disruption is increasingly affecting South Africa’s important citrus export sector. Trucks carrying refrigerated containers have reportedly waited for up to 30 hours to gain access to the terminal, while some fruit has begun to lose quality before being loaded for export. As a result, exporters are considering whether future cargo should be diverted through Maputo.

The deterioration comes only eight months after Philippines-based ICTSI took over operational responsibility for Durban Gateway Terminal under a 25-year partnership agreement with Transnet.

The South African Freight and Logistics Association and Road Freight Association are now calling for a publicly available 30-day recovery plan. They want the plan to address vessel queues, crane productivity, equipment availability, yard utilization, truck turnaround times and rail evacuation.