The Transnet Port Terminals authority at Richards Bay, a division of Transnet, is looking at suspending the offloading of trucks at its facilities in the interest of public safety on surrounding roads.
Observers say the repercussions of this, should it be implemented, will severely effect the economy, which is already taking strain due to Transnet’s poor performance.
According to TPT, only trucks whose vessels have been nominated will be processed.
Transnet said on Friday that an urgent meeting with customers and all relevant stakeholders will be held soon to discuss the matter.
"The industry may propose a far more superior traffic management solution that could create order in Richards Bay and completely eliminate the staging of trucks on the N2, almost immediately,“ it said.
Bottlenecks at the port have wreaked havoc on roads in the uMhlathuze Local Municipality, with long lines of trucks causing traffic congestion. In recent months. This has now reached uncontrollable levels, such that the safety of road users in and around Richards Bay has been put at risk.
The crisis is also causing shipping problems, with numerous vessels having to queue as they wait for cargo from the trucks.
The SA Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) said it was yet to assess the threat to safety protocols, and cost implications for shipping lines, which normally incur penalties for delays in moving their cargo.
"We are not aware of it; we are still to see what is going on and will get back to you," a senior Samsa official said.
The Richards Bay Municipality, which has initiated legal action against Transnet for the bottlenecks, says it has had to deploy scarce manpower to direct traffic, ultimately incurring high overtime costs while losing focus on its core functions.
The uMhlathuze Municipality is taking the government and Transnet to court over its alleged failure to maintain rail infrastructure, the prime cause of the severe congestion caused by trucks transporting cargo, particularly coal, to the port.
Stakeholders, including Minerals Council South Africa and the Road Freight Association, have called for the operation of the country’s ports to be handed over to the private sector, saying Transnet's ineptness is costing the economy in excess of R1 billion a day.
According to the Minerals Council, an estimated 41 million tons of coal and ore were moved by road last year, resulting in 102 000 trucks a month streaming into ports in South Africa and Maputo. In the first three months of this year, that number had risen to 120 000.
“Communities along the trucking routes [have seen an increase in] road accidents and the rapid degradation of secondary and primary roads. [The consequence of] trucks carrying 35 tons each of dusty coal, chrome or manganese has been devastating. A single train can replace up to 400 trucks,” the council said.
According to SA Revenue Service figures, Richards Bay handles monthly trade of R9.5 billion, excluding coal, through the Richards Bay terminals.
It said much of the transportation was done by truck because of problems at the port. About R2bn a month of the trade was imported petroleum and chemical products.
Transnet said it was powerless to resolve the situation as it grapples with a Section 61 issued by the Transnet National Ports Authority, primarily because of traffic congestion and the terminal’s poor traffic management system that is negatively impacting all port users.
TPT said it had implemented a truck booking system as a mechanism to create order; however, the solution does not include trucks destined to back-of-port facilities.
"Subsequently, even when trucks have been booked, the tempo at which the trucks arrive at port gates at a particular time of day sometimes far exceeds the tempo at which trucks can be processed at the permit offices, as well as at the terminal stockpiles. This leads to a build-up of trucks outside the port gates on surrounding roads and on the N2," TPT said.
RFA chief executive Gavin Kelly said logistics was a private sector game requiring decent and good competition to ensure goods and even people were moved along the corridors.
"The rail infrastructure has been allowed to decay and collapse. That lies squarely at the feet of Transnet, those given the accountability and responsibility to ensure Transnet is properly run and managed, and, ultimately, the President,“ Kelly said.
He questioned the role of the National Logistics Crisis Committee, and saying he wondered if it was aware of the proposal to suspend all road exports.
"The Road Freight Association has a very clear proposal: Give the ports and the railways to [the] private sector. Let us run these efficiently and sustainably. The promises of concession (of port terminals) and access to rail have all evaporated. Empty promises!" Kelly said.
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