Durban Container Terminals (DCT) has taken delivery of an R892-million fleet of new straddle carriers and rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, which are among the first consignments of 100 pieces of cargo handling equipment on order for the terminals this year.
Speaking at the Port of Durban where the equipment was unveiled to port stakeholders and the media on Thursday, Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips said the delivery of the new equipment was a “game changer” for the state-owned entity since it would enable its staff to improve operational efficiencies.
“The arrival of the straddle carriers and rubber-tyred gantry cranes that we celebrate today is part of a bigger rollout plan to enhance the operational capabilities of our container terminals,” Phillips said.
The equipment, which includes 20 straddle carriers at a cost of R23m each for the Pier 2 terminal and nine RTGs at a cost of R48m each for Pier 1, began arriving in December 2024 and delivery will continue until the end of May 2025.
The delivery forms part of Transnet’s ‘Recovery Plan’ which includes an investment of R3.4 billion in the 2025 financial year to boost its fleet, with the country’s busiest terminals, DCT, getting the lion’s share.
Additional equipment that will be delivered to DCT this year includes four ship-to-shore cranes for the South Quay, 40 haulers and 67 trailers, with arrival scheduled between April 2025 and December 2025.
“In 2026, the Port Elizabeth Container Terminal will take delivery of 12 straddle carriers, while Cape Town will receive 28 RTGs and straddle carriers,” Phillips said.
“In line with the measures we are taking to reduce our carbon footprint for the equipment launched today, we have opted for diesel-electric hybrids with the approval of the Environmental Protection Agency. The equipment we have on hand is not only sustainable, but it also has higher stacking capacity than any of the models before 2025.”
Phillips added that Transnet should have procured the equipment four years ago but staff had “made a plan”, struggling for years to keep the ports working with existing aged infrastructure.
“We will move forward. We will deploy this equipment, and we will ensure that our people are productive. And I know here and there there'll be a bad apple. We will work on them. We are not perfect. We still have a lot of work to do, but I can guarantee you, this is the beginning of a new Transnet. We will go where people do not expect us to go,” Phillips said.
Transnet Board chairperson Andile Sangqu said the company’s recovery hinged on confronting the challenges that had led to its performance decline, which is why investment in infrastructure was at the core of its plans.
“Investments such as this one lay the foundation for a more efficient and dependable Transnet. These investments underscore our commitment to take the necessary steps to ensure a well-functioning port infrastructure system,” Sangqu said.
“Recognising that collaboration is a vital cog in our operational environment, we appreciate partnership opportunities to collaborate with the private sector in the overall upgrade of ports infrastructure.”
DCT chief executive Earle Peters said the equipment would enable the port to achieve its targets of moving more than two million TEUs per annum from an average of 1.7m TEUs currently.
MSC South Africa managing director, Captain Rosario Sarno, welcomed the arrival of the equipment, saying Transnet staff had worked “a miracle" in tackling port congestion over the years without decent equipment.
“They didn't have the equipment, they didn't have much, yet they kept on going forward. They stabilised the ship,” Sarno said.
He added that he was confident that port efficiency would improve with the deployment of the new equipment.
Durban Harbour Carriers chairperson Sue Moodley said the equipment's arrival would help improve port efficiencies and, when additional straddles are deployed to the port's landside, hopefully, reduce truck congestion in the precinct.
TPT executives have presented the company’s capital investment plans to industry at several industry engagements over the past two years as an assurance to its customers.
Last year, DCT Pier 2 took delivery of 20 haulers, two reach stackers, one empty container handler, 10 trailers, two forklifts and eight straddle carriers.
Other initiatives under way aimed at recovery include a robust maintenance regime on the existing fleet, an Original Equipment Manufacturer strategy that has facilitated the speedy arrival of spares to improve the reliability and availability of equipment following National Treasury approval, and the addition of a fourth shift for the 24-hour operation.
Several initiatives have also been taken to make the terminal fluid, including dedicated channels for the evacuation of import containers and stacking of export containers four high to create capacity on the landside.
In the 2023/24 financial year, DCT Pier 2 handled 1.7m TEUs, while DCT Pier 1 processed 650 000 TEUs, representing a combined 60% of SA’s container volumes.
TPT’s capital spend this year also includes its other terminals in Richards Bay, East London, Cape Town, Gqeberha and Saldanha Bay.
