After a decline in ships docking at South African ports between 2019 and 2021, the country\u2019s harbours appear to be making a gradual comeback.<\/p>\n
Almost all of the country\u2019s exported goods leave through harbours operated by state-owned Transnet.<\/p>\n
The sharp drop in vessels arrivals \u2013 from 9 882 in 2019 to 8 453 in 2021 \u2013 was the result of the Covid pandemic, compounded by ageing infrastructure and years of mismanagement and corruption at Transnet.<\/p>\n
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However, economic recovery and increased investment in South Africa\u2019s ports over the past few years, including new public-private partnerships, appear to be arresting the decline, with 9 342 vessels arriving last year.<\/p>\n
Read: Logistics crisis: Neighbours eat SA\u2019s lunch
Black Friday and festive season imports need to get on the water now<\/p>\n
Durban harbour, the country\u2019s largest, has battled with ageing infrastructure and administrative delays, resulting in long waiting times. A new public-private partnership came into effect in January at Durban\u2019s Pier 2 and is expected to improve throughput and ease congestion.<\/p>\n
Richards Bay is used primarily for coal exports, but due to inefficiencies in Transnet\u2019s rail operations there is not enough coal arriving at the port. There have, however, been some improvements in rail operations and infrastructure upgrades over the past two years, although vessel numbers remain well below 2018 levels.<\/p>\n
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Read: Richards Bay back on Rio Tinto\u2019s investment radar
Slowly but surely, South Africa does seem to be turning the corner<\/p>\n
Cape Town harbour has been busier than ever. Since 2018, it has overtaken Richards Bay as the country\u2019s second-busiest port, with record numbers in 2024. The increased traffic has put pressure on the harbour\u2019s limited infrastructure, causing bottlenecks and delays. Substantial infrastructure upgrades and improvements have been ongoing since 2024.<\/p>\n
\u00a9 2026 GroundUp. This article was first published here.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n