Durban growth slows compared to other ports

The Port of Durban handled
76.7 million tonnes of cargo
during the 2010/11 financial year
ended March 31,2011, which
was an increase of 6.8% on the
previous fiscal year (71.8mt).
Containers handled by the
country’s busiest port amounted
to 2 572 450 TEUs which was
up 135 419 TEUs or 5.5% on
2009/10.
The volumes quoted by weight
here include a calculation for the
2.5 million containers based on
13.5 tons per TEU, necessary
because Transnet NPA does not
include these by weight as it
previously did, thus distorting any
comparative examination of the
various ports’ progress over the
years. Collectively South African
ports handled 4 090 787 TEUs,
up 12.2% on the 3 646 787 TEUs
handled in the 2009/10 fiscal
year and a total volume of
253.795 million tonnes of cargo,
compared with 236.076mt the
year before.
One can analyse port statistics
to death and come up with various
scenarios but the reality is that
container growth at the country’s
largest container terminal appears
to have slowed in comparison
with some of the other ports.
The real growth was in the
Eastern Cape, at Ngqura in
particular, but even Port Elizabeth
managed a small growth on last
year.
Volume-wise Durban handled
30.24% of total cargo handled at
South African ports, and 62.87%
of the containers measured in
TEUs. In this respect Durban
appears to be holding its position
against the other ports and the
cargo owners of Gauteng are
continuing to use Durban as
their port of choice for imports
and exports, despite recent
claims that Durban is one of
the most expensive ports within
the regions doing business with
South Africa.
Richards Bay handled a total
cargo of 84.93 million tonnes,
compared with 80.44mt the
previous year, a 5.58% increase.
The giant Richards Bay Coal
Terminal shipped 63.43 million
tonnes of coal for the calendar
year (62.29mt fiscal years),
leaving the rest of the port to
handle 22.64mt of bulk and
breakbulk cargo.