The Cape Town Container Terminal completed services for three vessels in a single shift over the weekend, reducing the vessels at anchor from four to one, despite three hours of lost time owing to fog.
The recent marked improvement in productivity demonstrates responsive plans that have been put in place on the road to recovery, says State-owned Transnet Port Terminals (TPT).
The terminal also continues to facilitate plans and work with its stakeholders, including shipping lines and fruit exporters, to ensure the full consignment of planned containers arrive at the terminal while the vessel is still loading.
“It is important that we maximise refrigerated container intake,” emphasises TPT Western Cape acting managing executive Oscar Borchards.
The vessel Santa Rita was planning to sail with 1 750 refrigerated containers in the next two days. However, the confirmed number of refrigerated containers that have reached the terminal is 1 730.
Customers are battling a global shortage of empty refrigerated containers that has long been a matter in peak seasons, placing pressure on both the terminal’s and supply chain’s capacity, Borchards notes.
Nevertheless, recovery initiatives at the terminal are progressing well, including scheduled overtime workings and increased management visibility on the quayside. Volumes have increased weekly, giving assurance that continuous improvements are starting to yield results, Borchards adds.