World Bank ranks Durban as world’s least efficient port – SABC News
Experts agree that Transnet has shown progress in turning around the delays and inefficiencies at ports. This, despite the latest Containers Port Terminal Index, compiled and released by the World Bank and S&P market intelligence, ranking some of South Africa’s ports at the bottom, with Durban ranked the lowest, followed by the Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape.
The report acknowledges that South African container ports have demonstrated resilience and improvement, particularly in 2024, despite facing significant external pressures and internal structural challenges.
The Red Sea crisis, which diverted large volumes of Asia-Europe trade around the Cape of Good Hope, placed new demands on the country’s port capacity and operational efficiency.
Even with these improvements, Durban was ranked 403rd out of 403 ports, making it the lowest-performing port in the index for 2024.
According to the report, only 52% of a vessel’s time in port was spent productively at the berth, with the remaining 48% spent waiting at anchor or on arrival operations.
The Ngqura Port outside Gqeberha was ranked 402nd, and the Port Elizabeth harbour, 395th out of 403 ports.
A partner at BDO South Africa, Siyabonga Mthembu, explains how the Red Sea crisis exacerbated the challenges that South Africa was already having.
The South African Association of Ship Operators and Agents has criticised the report, saying it doesn’t take into account the amount of capital expenditure that has been spent to improve operational efficiencies at the ports. Its CEO Peter Besnard, referred to the work that Transnet has done so far as proof.
Cape Town improved its Container Port Performance Index score by nearly 240 points, marking one of the strongest gains globally. The index notes that the ranking for Cape Town has been significantly affected by longer vessel arrival times, meaning waiting times at anchor, while the time spent at berth did not change substantially between 2023 and 2024.
Mthembu says that despite the improvements, it will still take some time for this progress to reflect in the index.