Durban port: ‘Once we lose the shipping route, it will be very hard to get it back’
The Port of Durban has been performing poorly for years. The damage may become permanent.
Picture: © medvedkov/123rf.com
Clarence Ford speaks with Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association.
Listen below.
The Road Freight Association (RFA) hit a snag in introducing private players to the Port of Durban.
The process has been underway for years, specifically for Pier 2.
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However, it has still not yielded any positive results.
The state of our ports has led to shipping lines choosing other ports, devastating our economy.
Kelly says they have been pushing to upgrade the port for almost 20 years.
“This is not a story that just started last week.”
- Gavin Kelly, CEO - Road Freight Association
“It is frustrating that we have just been talking about it. We have not gotten anywhere in turning it around.”
- Gavin Kelly, CEO - Road Freight Association
He adds that South African ports used to be ahead of the rest of the Continent, but we have fallen behind.
Kelly warns that once a new shipping route has been established, it will become difficult to draw them back to Durban.
Roughly 18 months ago, Transnet started partnering with a private company but the process stopped after another party 'cried foul'.
Kelly notes that the RFA is not privy to the case's details.
Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interview.