Durban Container Terminal has made progress in accommodating larger container vessels but still faces challenges in berth productivity, yard capacity, equipment availability and landside coordination, according to research by Transnet National Ports Authority TNPA chief harbour master, Captain Rufus Lekala.
Lekala, who graduated with a Master of Commerce in Maritime Studies degree from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, examined whether the ports infrastructure, equipment and operational systems were adequately prepared to efficiently handle larger vessels in his dissertation: Assessing the Impact of Increased Container Vessel Size for Durban Container Terminal.
The study was conducted against the backdrop of the Port of Durbans recent ranking among the lowest-performing ports in the international Container Port Performance Index, despite being the busiest container port in the Southern hemisphere.
