A daily war room on Road Motor Transport (RMT) reporting is one of several interventions aiming to resolve the issue of the coal truck buildup in the Port of Richards Bay.
It was established by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), which has come under fire for an alleged lack of urgency at the clogged port.
In a statement released this week, the TNPA port manager for Richards Bay, Dennis Moadi, said the company, along with other stakeholders, is progressing in addressing the challenge of traffic congestion at the port.
"We are encouraged by the collaborative approach demonstrated by all stakeholders in recent meetings, where customers have committed to support initiatives proposed by the port and terminal operators, such as using the truck booking system effective from 13 May.”
This will allow customers to engage with transporters and cargo agents, Moadi said.
“It’s a great step in the right direction. We are confident that the compulsory use of the truck booking system and other initiatives will provide a lasting solution to the problem.”
Referring to "integrated stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment and a collective resolution of the congestion," he said such engagements include a daily war-room on RMT reporting, inter-governmental workshops to discuss medium to long-term solutions, and participation in a mayoral committee on matters affecting operations of the municipality and interventions.
Stakeholders involved in this collaborative effort include terminal operators, Transnet Freight Rail, the City of Umhlatuze, KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Transport, and the South African National Roads Agency Limited.
Trucks accessing the port have been averaging 1 800 per day since March 2022, more than double the previous year's truck volume, mainly attributable to an unprecedented high demand for coal by the international market.
This has resulted in increased congestion around the port and municipal areas.
The statement also pointed to a degree of non-compliance by the truckers themselves.
It claimed that approximately 50% of truck arrivals at the port during March and April of 2023 did not follow the instruction of utilising the terminal booking system, which disrupts the flow of truck movement within the port.
In addition, a high level of heavy haul non-compliance has been identified as a contributing factor, with breakdowns, roadworthiness, and expired vehicle licenses compounding the traffic flow problems within the port.
TNPA has created extra staging capacity of 250 parking bays, separate from the Truck Staging Area.
Moadi emphasised that reports suggesting that the port is now used as a truck stop are factually incorrect, highlighting the port design and the directional flow of traffic make it impossible for such to occur.
