State-owned Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) says it has started handling citrus exports at the Durban and Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) container terminals for the season.

The season posed many challenges for South African farmers and, to this end, the container terminals will be open over a 24-hour period and have dedicated lanes prioritising refrigerated containers at the gates.

Operators of lifting equipment are currently undergoing a multiskilling process that will enable them to obtain multiple machine licences in order to create flexibility ahead of the peak season in July, it adds.

National berthing plans are to be updated daily and shared with industry, in order to avoid excessive open stack days where vessels are delayed in other terminals. Additionally, the repairing and maintenance of plug points and lighting has been concluded.

“A terminal’s demand is a derived demand service, in which we only grow when the industries we support grow. As such, we endeavour to provide value to our customers, so that we can celebrate their success,” says TPT commercial and planning GM Michelle van Buren Schele.

Improving efficiency was key to a prosperous citrus season, and Transnet had robust programmes in place aimed at improving equipment availability and reliability throughout the season, she stated.

Further, TPT handled 3.7% more citrus exports in 2022 than in 2021, despite the KwaZulu-Natal floods and new European Union (EU) regulations. In total, TPT moved 128 374 forty-foot equivalent units across its container terminals.

This year, Transnet Port Terminals is looking to continue on this trajectory and create avenues for further growth.

South Africa, among the top suppliers of citrus in the world, has battled with rising operational costs and disruptions, as well as the EU's cold treatment regulations, which were imposed on South African fruit in July.

Despite these challenges, the country has continued to increase its fruit exports, TPT states.