The Cato Ridge Multi-Modal Logistics Hub will bring much-needed relief to the Port of Durban, given the various challenges and inefficiencies that are negatively affecting the transport and logistics value chain linked to it.Warwick Lord, CEO of the Cato Ridge Logistics Hub Consortium (CRLHC), says the fact that the port is surrounded and enclosed by urban development, with extremely limited space for the expansion of back-of-port activities, means that congestion is a major problem. This is exacerbated by the fact that the port is serviced by an ageing and inadequate road network and accommodates other municipal and bulk services. All this, plus the port is having to cope with rapidly increasing freight volumes – which means a greater reliance on road transport. So bad is the congestion, says Lord, that it is now smothering not only the port’s operations but also the full logistics value chain linked to it. “Time is now of the essence to find lasting and sustainable solutions in order to prevent a situation where shippers will either move their operations and target alternative ports, or we see the introduction of a port congestion surcharge.”He says the developments in Cato Ridge are driven by a clear objective: to find a fit-for-purpose, win-win solution for all port users and stakeholders.According to Lord, the collective impact of this development will result in:• improved port management by strengthening the ability of the port authority to reduce ship dwell time for both inbound and outbound freight movements; •the efficiency of terminal operations, resulting in a reduction of cargo dwell time and inventory costs; •vessel turnaround times, resulting in reduced docking time and demurrage for shipping liners; •cargo transit and throughput, increasing the volume of freight handled and achieving greater economies of scale with existing equipment;•turnaround for trucks and trains, resulting in greater transport efficiencies; •traffic f low, reducing congestion and creating opportunities for the enhanced, productive use of scarce back-of-port land; and •road to rail ratio, which will see rail movements being favoured to reduce road traffic congestions, and in so doing, contribute to a reduced carbon footprint.“All of the above can be achieved by applying the extended port gate concept,” he tells Freight News. This implies that the so-called port gate, in the case of freight movements on the western corridor – referred to as the Durban-Free State Gauteng Corridor – will be moved out to Cato Ridge. This extended port gate is enabled by the development of an intermodal facility at Cato Ridge which can intercept road and rail freight from inland terminals and destinations, so it can be stacked for delivery to the Port of Durban in terms of the “ just in time principle”. This will lead to the reduction of freight handling movements and the reduced risk of time delays, which inevitably lead to congestion. It therefore provides an open user facility for the movement of freight via road or rail, depending on the mode efficiencies of the products or commodities being moved. A reverse process would also apply for all inbound freight to be moved through the Port of Durban and destined for long-haul inland destinations, as well as for short-haul and destuffing facilities within the greater Durban area.Lord says the CRLHC has conceptualised and developed a master plan for this development. It includes a truck stop and staging facility to provide for adequate capacity to accommodate inbound and outbound road freighters, and an intermodal terminal facility to enable road to rail transition for container and automotive cargo with an envisaged maximum container annual throughput capacity of about 520 000 TEUs. “The plan also includes logistics and light industrial parks to provide space for industries involved in both forward and backward linkages in the logistics value chain to operate in close proximity to this intermodal facility, and a tank farm and strategic fuel storage facility to expand this hub from an intermodal to a multi-modal fa cilit y. “This is all made possible by the fact that this is the first location outside the Port of Durban where the N3 Road, the Natcor rail line and the liquid fuel pipeline intersect.”
