TRANSNET PORT TERMINALS IN GEAR AND RELIANT ON CITRUS CUSTOMERS TO EASE CONGESTION IN DURBAN
The Durban Container Terminals (DCT) Pier 1 and Pier 2 have effected a mass rail evacuation system that will reduce truck congestion on Bayhead Road, south of Durban as South Africa’s citrus season enters its second month of six across KwaZulu Natal (KZN) and the Eastern Cape (EC).
After reviewing the past year’s challenges, a solution was required for the inability of cold stores and transporters to secure truck appointments consistently. This was due to the high volumes of citrus fruit which needed to enter the terminals in order to be exported as soon as possible. Late finalisation of refrigerated container stack dates also prevented timeous logistics coordination for reefer packing.
The mass rail evacuation system involved creating a back of port facility within the Durban Port vicinity to ease the movement of produce in collaboration with the cold storage logistics chain and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). One 50-wagon train now replaced 53 road trucks that previously called the terminals as 53 separate transactions at different times of the day. The successful piloting of an ambient refrigerated container train to DCT Pier 2 earlier this month has been the basis of convincing logistics service providers of citrus exports to make use of the operation to rail 50 ambient refrigerated containers per day.
The initiative of railing refrigerated containers comes at a time when some of the city’s road infrastructure remains compromised following heavy rains in the recent past and customers have been incentivised to make use of the system.
TPT who manages Durban, Gqeberha and the Ngqura container terminals has this year placed particular focus on maintaining stack fluidity as a result of last year’s record 12% volume increase which saw South African citrus fruits reach over 100 markets worldwide.
Industry experts had estimated this year’s citrus volume projections at 10% above last year before the KZN floods which have had an impact to the logistics chains and citrus exports as a result. Despite the late production of lemons and grapefruit and the continuing global shortage of refrigerated containers – TPT has already recruited a total of 206 additional resources on a contractual basis until end of the citrus season across its container terminals in KZN and the EC. A provision of 950 plug points has also been made for additional capacity.
Source & photo : TPT
