State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) reports that the Durban Bayhead Precinct had been affected by severe truck traffic congestion on August 10, after a truck capsized along Bayhead road.
While the port was attending to the resulting backlog at the Durban Container Terminals, a further challenge arose when the information technology system of private terminal operator Bulk Connections experienced a network outage and affected their three truck loading bays in the Island View complex.
This compounded the traffic congestion and caused delays to many facilities in Bayhead and Island View.
TNPA reports that the capsized truck was moved in the afternoon on August 10, while the Bulk Connections system was restored on the morning of August 11 and the terminal resumed servicing trucks.
“As the port landlord, TNPA has requested Transnet Port Terminals to allow its Pier 1 container terminal to absorb some of the bulk trucks into the Pier 1 truck staging facility in an effort to decongest Bayhead road.
“We are also working with the bulk terminal to have a second access gate opened into Island View.
“As a longer-term solution, we are motivating through the Port of Durban Decongestion Task Team for all terminals to have a booking system that will give port users full visibility of cargo handling equipment deployed and truck volumes so that they can plan when and when not to send vehicles to the port,” explains Durban port GM Moshe Motlohi.
He urges all terminal operators to activate an early warning system to communicate any system failure so that Transnet can sensitise other port users of congestion incidents.
The Durban Container Terminal experienced a backlog owing to the traffic congestion, which caused some container trucks to miss their scheduled slots in the Transnet booking system.