Industry bodies the South African Freight and Logistics Association (Safla) and the Road Freight Association (RFA) are calling for a unified recovery plan to restore predictable cargo flow through the Durban Gateway Terminal (DGT), following sustained disruption across vessel, yard, system and landside operations.

In July, vessels at the DGT averaged 80 hours at anchorage and 106 hours at berth. After the mid-August NAVIS N4 terminal operating system cut-over, weekly throughput fell 26% and reported terminal waits reached 8 to 12 days, the organisations say.

Independent monitoring data shows average Durban port call time rose from under five days in late June to more than 12 days by late August, and monthly berth calls fell from 34 in May to 19 in August.

Similarly, the time transporters spend in the port precinct per visit has risen by more than 50% in the past three-month period, while Bayhead Road transit times have climbed steadily since January.

Terminal operator International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) assumed operational responsibility for DGT on January 1, under a 25-year partnership with State-owned Transnet. It inherited longstanding infrastructure, yard, road and rail constraints alongside pre-handover investment in 20 new straddle carriers and four ship-to-shore cranes.

“Transnet granted the concession under defined performance commitments. Transnet and the shipping lines therefore hold the standing to bring the terminal to account,” the two organisations say.

Safla and RFA propose a DGT Recovery Compact built on five actions, with the first being a single recovery structure under which the terminal, Transnet entities, eThekwini, shipping lines, transporters, labour and industry bodies meet in one daily structure, with government facilitating rather than managing.

The second action they call for is a public, 30-day recovery plan, with daily targets and one public dashboard that includes vessel waiting and berth times, crane productivity, equipment availability, system stability, yard utilisation, dwell, truck turnaround, rail evacuation.

The third action they call for is the stabilisation of systems, equipment and the yard, with NAVIS Hypercare retained until cargo-flow thresholds are sustained, and which must be backed by a straddle and crane reliability programme and accelerated evacuation of long-dwell containers.

The fourth action the bodies propose is a coordinated landside plan, including appointment releases that are aligned with real capacity, published slot schedules, reasons for cancellations, disclosure of any preferential access, and fast-tracked truck staging.

The fifth action they call for is fair commercial treatment, with transparent prioritisation of reefers, perishables and critical cargo, and published relief processes for storage, demurrage and detention where delays lie beyond the cargo owner's control.

“If systems, straddles, slots, gates, roads or rail fail, cargo stops. The cost runs well beyond storage and demurrage, as production lines wait for inputs, emergency airfreight is used at high cost, and trucks stand without bookings.

“The priority is disciplined recovery, with clear owners, deadlines and one trusted set of numbers. Durban needs one recovery plan, one set of trusted numbers and shared accountability,” says Safla executive officer David Logan.

“The Transnet–ICTSI partnership was created to change Durban’s trajectory, and we want it to succeed. Success will be measured by predictable berthing, productive ship hours, reliable truck access, effective rail evacuation and cargo arriving on time.”

Safla and the RFA stand ready to contribute member evidence and practitioner expertise to a joint recovery task team alongside the DGT, Transnet, government and other industry bodies, he adds.