South African stone fruit growers are reporting growing concern over ongoing logistical disruptions, citing vessel delays, wind-related interruptions, and operational constraints at the Cape Town port that have resulted in financial losses across the sector.
According to industry sources, recent wind delays coincided with continued capacity challenges, leading to repeated short shipments. In one instance, the ONE Resilience was unable to load 372 containers, which were left behind in the stack. The subsequent vessel, Kalahari Express, again departed without loading 111 containers, including 78 reefers. More than three weeks later, the remaining containers are expected to be shipped on the Santa Cruz. By that point, exporters indicate that fruit quality risks have increased, with the estimated value of the affected reefer cargo exceeding R20 million.
Over the past five weeks, combined shipments from all terminals at the Cape Town port have been substantially lower than during the same period last year. To reduce further delays, growers and exporters have diverted fruit by road from the Western Cape to Eastern Cape terminals and to Durban. Industry estimates suggest that these additional transport costs have already exceeded R35 million this season. As a result, shipments from the Eastern Cape have increased by 115%.
The 18 new rubber-tyred gantries at the port are not able to operate at their rated maximum wind speeds, as health and safety considerations for operators working above wind speeds of 80 km/h were not fully accounted for during planning. This issue remains unresolved. Equipment breakdowns, particularly involving ship-to-shore cranes, continue to affect terminal performance.
Quality claims are now emerging as delayed consignments reach export destinations. Growers indicate that this could lead to further financial pressure as claims are processed and final returns are adjusted. Industry bodies and individual exporters are assessing options to recover direct losses and quality-related claims from Transnet.
Some concerns that continued disruption could affect South Africa's position in overseas markets, where competitors such as Chile are active suppliers during the same window.
Charl Herbst, chairman of Hortgro Stone and a stone fruit grower, provided a recent example from his own operation. "After short shipments on two vessels, I had to extract and import my fruit from the container stack at the Cape Town Container Terminal and sell it on the local market in an attempt to minimise the financial loss."
He added that pressure is expected to increase as volumes build toward the January and February peaks. "The average stone fruit grower cannot afford another year of losses caused by logistical failures. The impact could extend beyond farms to rural employment and the broader economy."
In shipping terms, a short shipment refers to a situation where a vessel cannot load its full planned container intake before its scheduled departure, leaving remaining containers to await a later sailing.
© HortgroFor more information:
Hortgro
Tel: +27 21 870 2900
Email: [email protected]
www.hortgro.co.za
