Severe winds shut down the Port of Cape Town for more than 150 hours in the past month as wind speeds of up to 120km per hour hit the Mother City. According to a spokesman for the Cape Town Container Terminal, the problems are not only related to the wind, but also increased levels of ranging or surging. This happens in certain weather conditions when long swells in the port see vessels continue to roll, heave and surge alongside the quay while berthed. It’s particularly problematic at the ports of Cape Town and Ngqura. In the Eastern Cape, a moor master system has proved very effective, but it is an extremely expensive solution. The system, which essentially sucks the vessel up against the quay wall while berthed, is unlikely to be implemented in Cape Town for the moment. “The port authority has decided to do more research on it and port engineers are looking at other options to address the problem,” according to an industry source.
