Productivity at the Port of Walvis Bay seems to be progressing smoothly since the Namibian Ports Authority (Namport) commissioned its new container terminal last August.
Stock-taking from the new facility since it came online six months ago reveals that “the operations team at the terminal recorded the highest productivity in a decade at a rate of 36 moves per hour”, Namport writes in its newsletter, Quayside Bulletin.
Since the opening of the new container terminal, moves-per-hour (MPH) went from a usual 26 to 30 before spiking even higher to 39 MPH – “a current record”.
Namport is also particularly proud of its ship-to-shore (STS) handling skills.
The authority remarked that whereas it usually took around six months to upskill crane staff to STS efficiency levels, “the operations team only had about six weeks before the date of commissioning”.
Riding a high of competency, however, doesn’t mean complacency is going to set in anytime soon.
With all relevant professionals involved, Namport said it had instituted a Productivity Improvement Project (PIP).
The PIP will “meet on a regular basis at the terminal to address all issues that may hamper productivity and give recommendations to mitigate these issues”.
In a bid to pip challenges to the post, the PIP will also assist with training aspects, skills shortages and “plans to fill these gaps”. – Eugene Goddard
