DURBAN, October 14 (ANA) – State-owned freight and logistics company Transnet has put in place a number of business continuity plans for all three operation divisions affected by this week’s severe storms in KwaZulu-Natal, the company said.
“The inclement weather, which has been declared a provincial disaster this week, left a trail of destruction in the country’s busiest port, the Port of Durban, and surrounding areas,” Transnet spokesperson Molatwane Likhethe said.
The affected Transnet operational divisions were Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), Transnet Ports Terminals (TPT), and the Transnet Freight Rail (TFR).
“Transnet is, however, pleased to announce that no fatalities were reported as a result of the freak storm. Quick and agile response to the devastation at the Port Of Durban saw collaboration between the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) and TNPA refloating and remooring three vessels which had been grounded as a result of the storm,” Likhethe said.
Several TNPA premises had been flooded including the Transnet Maritime School of Excellence in Bayhead Road. The ports authority was pleased to announce that 100 percent of marine operations at the Port of Durban had resumed.
Some cargo handling equipment was damaged at the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 1 and Pier 2 under TPT. Damage to key cargo handling infrastructure also occurred in the bulk, break-bulk, and Durban car terminal. A total of eight ship-to-shore cranes and three rubber tyred gantries (RTG) had been damaged.
Buildings and infrastructure in and around the port were also affected, including containers, vehicles, and park home offices. As of [Friday] full operations in the break-bulk and car terminal had been restored with limited operations taking place at the container terminal.
TFR’s NatCor (Natal Corridor) and the Durban complex railway operations were also affected by the storm. The freight company had to suspend the NatCor mainline after electrical damage to the infrastructure was reported, Likhethe said.
A TFR team was currently working hard to clear the backlog around the Durban complex with some key rail operations safely restored. All three divisions had put plans together to make ensure smooth and safe operations.
“Transnet would like to assure all its affected customers that all possible operation solutions to deal with backlogs and damaged infrastructure will be considered and prioritised.
“Transnet workers are working tirelessly to restore all affected operations back to normality so that the supply chain involving the port, terminal, and railway is restored. Support for all employees who have been impacted in and outside of the workplace is taking place through a number of trauma counselling sessions throughout the organisation,” Likhethe said.
– African News Agency (ANA)
