Wikipedia
The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber said the logistics crisis at the Port in Durban has had a concerning impact on the sustainability of importers and exporters in the Bay.
According to Chamber CEO Denise van Huyssteen businesses in the metro have had to implement emergency solutions such as transporting their cargo via road to ports in Windhoek and Maputo at a massive cost.
"Cargo coming from the Far East is being delayed for up to six weeks, with vessels waiting to berth in Durban on both the import voyage as well as the coastal move.
“This in turn is impacting upon production schedules, export order commitments as well as the meeting of local demand requirements," said van Huyssteen.
In addition to the Durban and Cape Town congestion challenges, Transnet rolled out a new booking system at the Port Elizabeth Port last month.
Van Huyssteen said organised business had asked them at the time not to proceed until a resolution was found to the system challenges being experienced in Durban and Cape Town.
"This has further exacerbated the issues and is creating a poly-logistics crisis for local businesses.
"Our appeal is that the roll-out of the new booking system is suspended until the country-wide logistics crisis is resolved," she said.
The Chamber has also called for the Port Elizabeth and Nqura ports to be included in the national logistics intervention plans.
