Durban airfreight terminal sees volumes spike due to port congestion

Dube Cargo Terminal at King Shaka International Airport has seen air cargo volumes spike in recent months as a result of congestion at South Africa’s sea ports.

The terminal company said that in the last four months of 2023, its air cargo volumes were up 57% quarter on quarter due to modal shift.

The trend had continued in January this year, the company said.

“This significant increase in airfreight has been observed across various industries, from perishables to automotive, the latter traditionally being reliant on ocean freight,” said Ricardo Isaac, Dube Cargo Terminal senior manager, cargo development and operations.

“This emphasises the need of these industries to ensure uninterrupted production and timely delivery to export markets.”

“From September through to December 2023, we saw fruit exports to the Middle East and European markets double in volume compared with the same period last year.

“On the automotive side, in November we saw volumes approximately 30% higher than normal being moved through our airfreight cargo terminal.”

Isaac added that the trend shows that for time-sensitive commodities and in cases where production stoppage risks are heightened, having an efficient air option has become invaluable.

The country’s seaports, especially Durban, are currently facing significant challenges that have led to long waiting times.

This issue has had a negative impact on several industries that are crucial to the country’s economy, including the citrus industry, the company said.

The latter has had to deal with financial setbacks due to port-related issues, which have led to additional transportation costs.

According to Clyde & Co, backlogs outside the Port of Durban peaked in late November when an estimated 79 vessels and more than 61,000 containers were forced to remain at outer anchorage due to operational challenges, equipment failures, and bad weather at the port.

Issues were also reported at the Port of Cape Town, with an estimated 46,000 containers said to have been stuck outside the Ports of Ngqura and Gqeberha in late November. 

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