Bad weather and expansion of the Cape Town container terminal are to blame for congestion at the terminal, according to the authorities, the Weekend Argus reported.
Cape Town Harbour has the second-largest container terminal in the country but in the last few months containers have been backing up.
A recent report said the port's upgrade had led to a lack of berths and 10 to 12 ships being forced to queue for days to get into the harbour.
Last week the Ministry of Public Enterprise said that Minister Barbara Hogan was aware of the "congestion that was primarily brought about by adverse weather conditions - strong winds and adverse seas - during winter months, which resulted in the port having to halt operations from time to time".
In June alone five container vessels were at anchorage awaiting port entry.
The upgrade of the terminal would further improve productivity. Turnaround times |of vessels have already improved from 15 container moves per crane per hour four years ago, to 22 container moves per hour. |
