Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism

1. What are the most recent commitments that have been made by Transnet to his Department regarding the improvement of port operational efficiency at the Port of Cape Town
2. Transnet agreed to align their strategic plans for their western region with the provincial Growth for Jobs strategy. They also agreed to collaborate with industry to make the 2024/25 deciduous fruit export season as successful as possible.
3. Transnet Port Terminals agreed to a recovery plan for the Cape Town Container Terminal. This includes a first batch of 9 new rubber tyred gantries (RTG’s) that will be delivered during the second half of March 2025. Assembly of and training on the new equipment could take 4-5 months but will be expedited. A second batch of 9 RTG’s has been ordered and is currently being manufactured in the Liebherr factory in Ireland. This batch is expected to arrive in the terminal in Cape Town in September 2025. This new equipment will have a significant impact on container terminal efficiency. Other elements of the terminal recovery plan include the temporary transfer of skilled technicians from port container terminals in the Eastern Cape to assist the heavy equipment maintenance team in Cape Town Container Terminal. It also includes the temporary transfer of two empty container handlers from Durban to Cape Town, as well calling for operators from shifts on the off cycle to volunteer to form an additional team for deployment during the on-shift cycle.
4. what measures or metrics does his Department use to monitor the progress of project implementation of the port

Several metrics are used, including:

i)    Vessel turnaround time

ii)    Total number of containers handled

iii)   Crane and ship working hours

iv)  Truck turnaround time

v)   Operational availability of heavy lifting equipment

vi)  Weather forecasts.

3. what is the frequency of reporting and

i)     Weekly reports are received from each of the three container terminals in the port.

ii)     The Department has a digital logistics planning platform for container terminals on which metrics can be monitored daily. The platform is functional, and additional features are being added in line with global good practice.

4. what actions are being taken when the port fails to deliver on its commitments?

i)    Weekly operational co-ordination meetings are held with the port and container terminal managers, where performance and any need for additional interventions are discussed.

ii)    Quarterly strategy co-ordination meetings are held with the port and terminal managers, as well as other agencies in the container eco-system, to discuss priorities for structural interventions.

iii)   An annual Port of Cape Town stakeholder dialogue is hosted by the Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism to calibrate strategic priorities, and to consider national and global shifts in the maritime freight logistics industry.