As the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) prepares for the 2023/24 deciduous fruit season, it has commenced engagements with key stakeholders, including the Summer Fruit Industry and the Western Cape government.

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) and key stakeholders in Paarl held a collaborative planning session on September 1 to discuss seasonal readiness plans.

The deciduous fruit season, which is regarded as one of the busiest for the terminal operations, runs from November to March every year. As part of the integrated session, the successes and failures of the 2022/23 season were discussed with the aim being to continue capitalising on operational pockets of excellence and correcting missteps of the previous season.

The seasonal readiness plan includes critical equipment availability, as well as the procurement of additional equipment for both the waterside and landside operations. Accelerating equipment replacement, capital spares supply, and continuously leveraging on original equipment manufacturer partnerships to shorten lead times to repair equipment are some of the plans currently in place to ensure redundancy throughout the season. 

Every year, the terminal exports huge quantities of fruit in refrigerated containers globally to European, Asian and Middle Eastern markets to name a few, with 183 430 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) being the volume achieved over the 2022/23 financial year. This year, the Agri reefer projected growth volumes are estimated at 21%.

“CTCT is well-geared for the deciduous season. We had to reflect on what didn’t work well in the past and what can be done differently going forward. While CTCT appreciates the crucial role it plays being the gateway to the import/export industry as a terminal, the season’s success requires great collaboration.

"CTCT intends effectively implementing our operational readiness plans during the season, to ensure optimised outputs for all our stakeholders,” says TPT managing executive for the Western Cape region Andiswa Dlanga.