Collaboration between reefer
shippers and Durban’s Transnet
Port Terminals (TPT) is
bearing fruit thanks to several
interventions introduced
by TPT to streamline the
movement of cargo.
Taking the almost year-old
working relationship between
the Citrus Growers’ Association
(CGA) and TPT one step
further was the launch earlier
this month of the Durban
Reefer Container Operations
Forum (DRCOF).
“It’s clear that much has been
done at the terminals since the
first engagements began with
TPT at the end of the 2013
season,” said Mitchell Brooke,
logistics development manager
of CGA.
Pier 1, he pointed out, has
implemented a dedicated reefer
(refrigerated container) lane.
It has also brought in a gantry
crane and a back-up reach
stacker (which is not windsensitive)
when high winds are
experienced.
Additional reefer plug-in
points have been installed and
the total now stands at 892
points for 40 foot (12 metre)
containers (FEUs).
There are two reefer trains in
operation from Letsitele in the
Limpopo province and these
are received directly into the
reefer stacks at Pier 1.
Pier 2 – which serves the
Durban Container Terminal
(DCT) – has also joined the
game. It has also introduced
a priority lane for reefer
containers, with additional
plug-in points installed to now
bring the total to 1 744 FEU
points.
And “amazingly”, Brooke
added, the reefer trains
have recorded an average
turnaround time of around
three hours – with almost no
issues from Transnet Freight
Rail (TFR).
“This,” he said, “should
hopefully pave the way for
more trains to come on line in
the near future.”
But Brooke also illustrated
some major challenges for
the passage of citrus exports
through the Port of Durban.
Particularly he noted the
congestion caused by import
and export stacks overlapping,
causing some major issues
throughout the chain. This
was especially relevant
when export stacks for the
SA-Europe Container Service
(Saecs) and MSC Europe
(MSCEU) services overlapped
– because 60% of all export
citrus reefers leaving Durban
are sent on these ships.
“When this happens,” he
said, “the three days needed
(as per the allocated stack
days) to load out the sheer
volume of containers is just not
adequate for the cold stores and
transporters to do it in.”
Brooke believes there are five
key aspects required to enhance
the effectiveness of the reefer
container operations in the
Durban port.
Terminals should allow
48-hours’ notice for firming
reefer export stack days – and
this must be held firm without
changes. This would ensure all
planning is executed without
disruptions from stack dates
shifting.
He also stressed that Pier 1
and Pier 2 should co-ordinate
to ensure the Saecs and
MSCEU reefer export stacks
are planned so that they do
not overlap.
“There is also a need
to develop a centralised
and integrated system to
co-ordinate all the export
bookings and operational
planning requirements
between all the role players in
the chain,” he said.
Added to that Brooke
suggested that shipping lines
should collaborate to use a
central container depot to
store primary or secondary
equipment stock-holding.
“The depot must then operate
24 hours in the peak season,”
he said, “where most depots in
Durban do not.”
The final key aspect was
the introduction of sevenday
reefer export stacks at
the four Durban container
terminals. Just as is the case
in Ngqura, PE and Cape Town
ports. “Failing which,” Brooke
said, “the Durban terminals
should introduce a formalised
process for ‘early arrivals’, to
assist when cold stores are
blocked out.”
INSERT & CAPTION
The reefer trains
have recorded an
average turnaround
time of around
three hours — with
almost no issues from
Transnet Freight Rail.
– Mitchell Brooke
CAPTION
Durban port’s Pier 2 – which serves the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) – has introduced a
priority lane for reefer containers, with additional plug-in points installed.
