Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has concluded a seven-year agreement with four original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the supply of critical spares for equipment across its terminals, including the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2, which is the State-owned company’s largest and most heavily congested.

Durban Terminals managing executive Earle Peters says the arrangement could raise straddle-carrier availability at DCT Pier 2 by about 30% over the coming two weeks, which would improve the offloading of containers from vessels.

DCT Pier 2 has been particularly congested over the past few months, which has left some container vessels at anchorage for periods of longer than two weeks, leading to the imposition of container congestion charges and warnings that certain goods will not be available during the Christmas retail period.

TPT has indicated that congestion at the terminal is likely to be cleared only by the end of February, with Transnet’s most recent container recovery plan report showing that there were 22 container vessels at anchorage destined for the Durban Container Terminals on December 7, including 15 vessels destined for DCT Pier 2.

Vessel operations, the report confirms, were being negatively affected by breakdowns of haulers, cranes and straddle carriers.

The confinement agreements signed with the OEMs are aimed at reducing waiting times for critical spares of handling equipment such as straddle carriers, and ship-to-shore and rubber-tyred gantry cranes.

TPT reports that the process of developing a parts catalogue and aligning coding of materials on both OEM and TPT systems started this week and OEMs Kalmar, Liebherr, Kone Cranes and ZPMC have started supplying spares.

The OEMs were currently prioritising a three-month list of demand materials in the container sector to ensure a bulk, uninterrupted supply.

TPT requires about 8 000 different material items from each OEM across 16 sea-cargo terminals and three inland terminals, which have operations handling containers, bulk, break bulk and automotives.

At DCT Pier 2, the recovery plan is focused on increasing volumes handled per 24-hour period, while factoring in the prospect of inclement weather, Transnet National Ports Authority dredging operations and new vessel arrivals.

“Working with shipping lines, we have also identified and prioritised vessels with cargo that needs to make its way to the front of the queue,” Peters reports.