South African port statistics for October 2007

As usual Richards Bay led the way with 7.781m tonnes of all cargoes handled, followed closely by Durban with 6.771m tonnes, thanks to high bulk cargo imports and an impressive month for container handling.

Interestingly, Durban handles more than double the breakbulk cargo handled at all other ports combined – 700,000 tonnes out of a total of 1.3m tonnes.

Figures quoted in this report have been adjusted from those issued by Transnet to include container volumes as containers are no longer measured by weight by Transnet National Ports Authority. The adjustment is based on a conservatively estimated average weight of 13.5 tonnes for each teu.