Predictions as to how last year would end for the port of Durban proved reasonably accurate (Network, January 16). Containerised cargo, which always attracts the most attention in the port and for the good reason of Durban having the premier container terminal in sub-Saharan Africa, finished with a throughput of 2.975million TEU (twenty foot container equivalents) – up from the 2.699million in 2017.
That’s an increase of 276000 TEU for the year or just over 10%, which will prove very encouraging to Transnet Port Terminals (TPT). Nationally the increase on containers was 5.3% with the total for all ports reaching 4.833million TEU.
Total cargo throughput involving all products for Durban was 83.161million tons, up from the 78.106million tons of 2017 (6.47%). Nationally the figures were 294.29million tons, an increase of 1.33%. on the 290.428million tons in 2017.
The number of ships arriving in our ports continues to decline, although this is not reflective of declining cargo volumes but of the use of much larger ships, in particular container vessels.
