TPT revises ro-ro booking procedure

Transnet Port Terminals
will introduced a hybrid
booking procedure for
transporters using the
Durban ro-ro terminal at
the Point.
In an exclusive
communiqué to FTW,
TPT said that they and the
Durban Harbour Carriers’
Association (DHCA) – a
part of the SA Association
of Freight Forwarders
(Saaff) – had reached a
mutual agreement.
“The new arrangement
promises greater flexibility
for transporters and may
ease road traffic congestion
in the Point area, especially
around breakbulk
commodities,” Zeph
Ndlovu, terminal executive
of the ro-ro and Maydon
Wharf terminals told FTW.
“Based on our
engagement with industry
via the new transporters’
forum meetings, TPT
and the management of
the ro-ro terminal have
recognised the need for a
more innovative approach
to managing the fluidity of
the terminal.
“The long dwell-times
and slow evacuation
of cargo necessitated
the need to revise the
previous system. With joint
collaboration between the
terminal and DHCA, the
new hybrid booking system
is believed to overcome
some of the challenges
associated with the
previous system.”
Currently truckers are
expected to comply with
pre-booked arrival timeslots
stipulated by TPT and
based on physical capacity
and equipment availability.
This was becoming
problematic for a host
of reasons, according to
Ndlovu. Transporters were
allocated widely varying
time-slots or spent hours
queuing while they awaited
their slot; the system was
badly affected by late
arrivals, no-shows or
equipment downtime; and
administration delays or the
long dwell-time of bulky
project cargo often slowed
down the whole process.
Under the new system –
to be piloted from February
20 until the end of March
– transporters arriving at
the terminal during the
daytime period between
06:00 and 22:00 will be
served on a more flexible
‘first come first served’
basis.
However during the
under-utilised night shift
(22:00 to 06:00), weekends
and public holidays, the
pre-booked time-slot
system will still apply.