Rising tensions over delays at Durban

Several trucking firms have reportedly reached breaking point with Transnet over the delays outside the container terminal gates. They said that on several occasions in the past week Bayhead and Langeberg Roads were gridlocked as hundreds of lorries arrived to load or deliver containers.

The delays had alternated between Durban Container Terminal and Pier 1 Container Terminal, with trucks having to wait outside for up to five hours to gain access, according to drivers.

The director of one company said that he and his colleagues had been unable to get any satisfactory explanation from Transnet Port Terminals as to why vehicle turnaround was so slow. He said that, according to drivers’ reports, it was a productivity issue within the terminal, although earlier Transnet had claimed that strong winds had slowed down operations at Pier 1 terminal.