Transport Minister Barbara Creecy says the container terminal at the Durban port is working to clear a backlog following disruptions that began after the introduction of its new Navis operating system in August.
Migration of the system disrupted cargo flows, truck bookings and vessel movements with waiting times for some ships reaching up to 12 days. The delays have also affected cargo owners and businesses, with additional costs linked to storage among other things.
The latest disruptions come after the port experienced a major backlog in 2023 and 2024. Speaking at the Durban Gateway Terminal, Creecy says the average waiting time for vessels has improved to 8.3 days.
“So, the target is 24-hours, but obviously when we ourselves were still in charge of the terminal we were not achieving 24-hours, I think our best was about three days. But we obviously understand we are not going to get there immediately. But what we have asked our partners to do is to develop a clear plan for dealing with the backlog that would be very specific.”
OCTOBER TRANSPORT MONTH
[IN PICTURES]
Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy delivering an opening address at Transport Indaba in Durban
KwaZulu-Natal’s location and ports infrastructure makes the province the primary trade gateway to Sub Saharan Africa. Your ports of Durban… pic.twitter.com/EtKSuXTdfb
— Department of Transport (@Dotransport) October 2, 2026
