State-owned Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has recorded a 17% year-on-year increase in the handling of vehicles being imported and exported by sea, four months before the end of the 2025/26 financial year in March.

The entity says this performance is a result of improved efficiencies, the digital conversion of parking bays and an increasing number of fully-built units (FBU) rolled on and off the car carriers.

The combination of these factors may TP exceed the yearly target again this year, with a recorded increase of 15.5% against the operator’s year-to-date target ended November, TPT points out.

TPT has broken six volume and productivity records across its automotive terminals in the last eight months, it highlights.

In April, the East London Car Terminal recorded a loading rate of 252 units an hour against a target of 180 units an hour.

In August, TPT’s automotive sector achieved the second highest weekly productivity, handling 30 008 FBUs in a single week.

Moreover, at the end of September, the Durban Car Terminal handled 67 446 FBUs more than targeted, recording a 25% increase halfway through the financial year – with loaded units an hour improving by 10% in Durban and 17% in East London.

In November, the Durban Car Terminal achieved an all-time monthly record, handling 78 551 FBUs, exceeding its volume target by 83%. TPT says this performance indicates that the terminal may exceed its 520 000 FBU capacity again this financial year ending March 31.

“Beyond TPT’s efforts in growing volumes and offering an efficient service, there are many activities under way in the automotive sector – including new-vehicle exports and the return of some automotive manufacturers like TATA and Geely to the South African market,” TPT commercial and planning GM Michelle van Buren Schele informs.

The implementation of the South African Automotive Master Plan 2025 also contributed to the initiatives under way as the country aims to grow vehicle production to 1% of global output (1.4-million vehicles), increase local content to 60% and double employment to 224 000 employees, she adds, also highlighting a focus on transformation in component manufacturing.

TPT operates three car terminals in Gqeberha and East London, in the Eastern Cape, and Durban, in KwaZulu-Natal, with a combined capacity of one-million FBUs.