Transnet Port Terminals was established in 2000, when Transnet’s then single port division, Portnet, was divided into operations and landlord businesses namely, SAPO (Transnet Port Terminals) and National Port Authority (TNPA). Since its inception, Transnet Port Terminals has played a key role in supporting the South African government’s export-led growth strategy.
Most Southern African import and export commodities are handled through South Africa’s six largest ports, Richards Bay, Durban, Saldanha, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth and East London. The new deepwater port of Ngqura is currently under development just 7 kilometers outside of Port Elizabeth. Port Terminals not only handles these cargoes but implements logistics management solutions for its container, bulk, break-bulk (multi-purpose) and car terminal operations.
Port Terminal’s major customers represent a broad spectrum of the economy and include the shipping industry, vehicle manufacturers, agriculture, timber and forest products, the mining industry and exporters of minerals, metals and granite.
Container Terminals
Durban, Africa’s busiest port, has the southern hemisphere’s largest and best-equipped container terminal. Its capacity of 3.7 million TEUs of containers in 2007 will be increased over the next three years to cope with the considerable growth in container traffic.
Close to the southern tip of Africa, Cape Town’s container terminal is a well-located hub for traffic from west to the northern hemisphere and to South America and the Far East.
A third of South Africa’s major-handling facilities are at Port Elizabeth. This handles some 250 000 TEUs a year and specializes in cargoes for the vehicle manufacturing and vehicle components industries.
Car Terminals
South Africa has experienced exponential growth in the automotive industry with vehicle imports and exports soaring from 23000 units a year to 550 000 units in 2006/7.
Early in 2003 a new era began for the Durban car terminal (which handles two-thirds of all the vehicles leaving or entering South Africa). The event was the start of work on Durban's much-needed port expansion project. Included in this project was a three-storey structure, housing 3800 additional parking bays and an over-pass linking the car terminal with the quayside.
Durban Car Terminal is currently increasing its parking capacity from 10 000 parking bays to 14 000 parking bays, resulting in an increased throughput from 400 000 units to 570 000 units per annum.
Breakbulk (Multi-Purpose) Terminals
Recent developments have included:
· Richards Bay: The break-bulk terminal has resulted from a merger of the bulk metal and combi terminals. The combined infrastructure has improved the terminal's handling of a variety of break-bulk, neo-bulk and containerised cargoes.
· Durban: The multi-purpose terminal, which handles break-bulk, bulk and containerised cargoes, has become this port's largest general cargo-handling facility.
· East London: The terminal is equipped to handle import, export and coastwise cargoes ranging from cars to livestock, wheat and other grain and scrap steel.
· Port Elizabeth: This port's multi-purpose terminal handles all types of unitise, free flowing and ro-ro cargoes, originating from and destined to the Eastern Cape's fruit, fish, granite, timber, steel and copper cargoes. The bulk terminal is equipped to handle a range of grains, as well as cement, scrap steel and Bentonite.