Durban terminal volumes fall by 30%
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
Durban’s terminal, operated by International Container Terminal Services and Transnet, recorded a fall of about 30% in volumes after a new IT system was introduced. The site handles nearly half of South Africa’s containerised freight, while delays could raise import costs, according to Daily Maverick.
Freight volumes at Durban Gateway Terminal (DGT), the container terminal operated with Transnet at the South African port of Durban, fell by about 30% between 14 August and 10 September compared with the average for the previous four months. The decline followed a switch to a new IT system, Navis N4, the Daily Maverick reports.
The terminal’s maritime traffic nevertheless rose by about 9% in the week of 19 to 25 October, to 31,149 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). This improvement is not enough to clear the queue of ships, whose average waiting time at anchorage is about 12 days, according to Jacob van Rensburg, head of research and development at the South African Association of Freight Forwarders.
International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI), a Philippine terminal operator, acquired a 49% stake in DGT from Transnet for 10.5 billion rand in early 2026. Transnet retains 51% of the shares, but Arend du Preez, president of the South African Freight and Logistics Association, says the state-owned company remains too silent about the difficulties.
The situation extends the congestion at Durban’s port terminal, which could last until February, according to an earlier estimate published on 30 October in Durban’s port terminal.
