Transnet invests R967 million in new equipment to boost Durban Container Terminal efficiency
Transnet Group CEO, Michelle Phillips said faster processing of cargo at our terminals directly supports South Africa’s export-led growth strategy.
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Transnet SOC Ltd (“Transnet”) is investing close to a billion rand on key infrastructure to improve efficiency at its Durban Container Terminal operations.
Recently, Transnet launched four new ship-to-shore (STS) cranes valued at R967 million at the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2. It said the investment aims to enhance the terminal's operational efficiency, cargo-handling capacity, and competitiveness.
The new STS cranes will replace an old fleet that has reached the end of its lifecycle. The Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 is the largest and busiest container facility in Southern Africa and is responsible for 60% of the country’s container volumes.
Pier 2 is currently the only facility in Africa with tandem lift cranes that have a carrying capacity of 80 tons at a time. The country’s ports have been under fire following a world report tracking port operations globally, which found that inefficiencies in the country’s ports have resulted in them ranking among the worst globally.
In a statement, Transnet said: “Two of the cranes are being commissioned, with endurance testing and operational handover scheduled to start in the last week of October 2025. The remaining two cranes are being assembled and are planned to undergo commissioning and operational handover by the end of November 2025.
“The new fleet is part of Transnet Port Terminal’s (TPT’s) capital expenditure to strengthen the cargo-handling fleet across its container terminals. In March 2025, TPT unveiled 20 straddle carriers and nine rubber-tyred gantries (RTGs) for DCT Pier 2 and Pier 1, respectively.”
Transnet Group Chief Executive Michelle Phillips said: “These cranes will enable us to turn around vessels faster, operate at higher winds, and match the world-class efficiency that global trade demands.
“This investment is a symbol of our commitment to ensure that cargo moves through our port terminals with the required speed and reliability. Faster processing of cargo at our terminals directly supports South Africa’s export-led growth strategy, boosting global trade competitiveness and economic prosperity,” Phillips concluded.
Gavin Kelly of the Road Freight Association stated that there needs to be significant investment in the entire port to improve efficiency. “The Port of Durban still suffers from congestion and slow processes of evacuating the port (getting the containers out).”
Kelly added that the association has long proposed that the truck queuing system be replaced with a better parking and load management system by using the old Durban airport as a large parking (holding) area for trucks to stage.
This would allow containers to be moved directly off trucks or rail wagons onto ships, or off ships onto trucks or rail wagons, keeping the flow through the port away from stacks. He also mentioned that the use of dry ports, such as Cato Ridge, will significantly enhance efficiency and flow through the Port of Durban.