Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) announced this week that it had recorded an improvement in truck turnaround time at Durban Container Terminals following the implementation of an adjusted free import storage rule seven months ago.
However, Durban port stakeholders, reacting to the announcement on Friday said that while there had been an improvement a few weeks ago, truck turnaround times in the port were averaging 3.5 to five hours and left much to be desired.
According to TPT, the container terminals had shown “significant improvements” in key metrics such as truck turnaround time of 15%, averaging 59 minutes by the end of the 2022/23 financial year. Truck staging had decreased by 24%, averaging 76 minutes, and stack occupancy levels had decreased by 18%, averaging 54%.
Durban Terminals managing executive Earle Peters said the change in rule to count the 78 hours of free storage the moment a container had been discharged from a vessel had eliminated time wastage, compared to the old rule when containers were only counted after all the containers on a vessel had been offloaded.
“For an operation of our size, yard fluidity is crucial. Its improvement eases traffic on public roads and creates fluidity in the operational area,” Peters said.
He added that transporters receiving notifications in real-time from the terminal operating system Navis had also enhanced effectiveness.
Peters said that to sustain operational efficiencies, the terminal management had focused on managing truck movements, employing mass evacuation strategies in the yard, better managing the truck staging area, and maximising the effective use of straddle carriers.
“These achievements are a testament to the terminal’s commitment to continuous improvement and its focus on providing the best possible service to our customers. We are proud of the progress we have made to date, and we remain dedicated to finding innovative ways to further enhance our operations through ongoing collaboration with transporter associations and industry stakeholders,” Peters said. However, transporters have complained that the port has not been particularly efficient over the past two weeks.
Durban Harbour Carriers chairperson Sue Moodley said the port’s Pier 1 and Pier 2 terminals had not been efficient due to the unavailability of equipment over the past two weeks.
“There are a lot of breakdowns, and as a result, the number of truck booking slots has been reduced, so we cannot access our containers when we want to.”
She said the revised booking system that was implemented in March 2020 to improve efficiency during the Covid-19 pandemic was not working efficiently.
“The booking system has parameters that need to be met with adequate resources. There were 27 running straddles but only 20 or 22 are now working, so they had to reduce the number of slots. There are insufficient skilled operators available too,” she said.
According to Moodley, Transnet is reviewing slot availability every two to four hours, but because trucks are currently not being turned around in 90 minutes, new slots are not opening quickly enough to give transporters access to pick up boxes.
“The accessibility of containers is a challenge that transporters deal with daily due to the limitation of slots, especially when a specific tower is busy. This impacts negatively, not just on the transporter but also on the customer and the entire logistics chain.
“We as an association have engaged with Transnet and asked them to revisit the booking system and its parameters and to make it more workable. We are waiting for them to have the discussion with us,” she said.
Dave Watts, an independent consultant to the maritime sector, said that while the scenario painted in the announcement may have been correct three weeks ago, the current situation was that trucks were taking 3.5-five hours on average to be turned around in the port. He said a shortage of equipment was part of the problem, causing the inefficiencies that were leading to delays.
