During a briefing about plans for Richards Bay (*), Transnet said it’s aware of the grid-locking chaos caused by tipper trucks hauling coal to the port.
Yet, the state-owned entity added that it alone is not responsible for the backlogging of outflows.
To illustrate its point, the Transnet presented a breakdown of vehicle malfunctioning in the tightly controlled and constrained port area.
Any vehicles broken down due to mechanical reasons hinder port access and egress, and mechanical breakdown of trucks is not their doing, the logistics utility said.
Some companies are also not using their booking system to facilitate smoother progress through the port.
Its remedial actions to date include the establishment of the following: “Decongestion Committee” of key stakeholders, including government and the municipality; a daily “war room” on Road Motor Transport (RMT) portside; inter-governmental workshops; an RMT Booking System using a pull system to allow the pre-booking of all RMT destined for the port; a Mayoral Committee to tackle factors affecting the municipality; stakeholder engagement with bodies such as the Minerals Council and coal customers, port security personnel to conduct random checks at entry and exit points; and a staging area outside the port.
Regarding the latter, it is understood that this is close to a decision on a successful bidder to establish a staging area.
* Also read this: https://tinyurl.com/yfm2ev79
