Tough talk
City takes no-nonsense stance as ban on truck-to-ship coal looms
THOSE coal mine and coal truck owners who believe their ‘ship came in’ via the Port of Richards Bay have been dealt a massive blow.
As a result of the hardline stance the City of uMhlathuze has taken after seeing the steady destruction of road and other infrastructure, the traffic chaos that has angered residents, and the inability of the port to handle the influx of heavies, Transnet has been forced to take action.
In a letter issued on Thursday, Richards Bay Terminals managing executive Thulasizwe Dlamini said the port was simply not able to accommodate the volume of trucks now being experienced and is aware of the backlash that has resulted.
Apart from vessels already lying at the outer anchorage or on route, ‘the terminal operator is left with no choice but to immediately freeze all vessel nominations for vessels that bring in cargo via road transport’.
In doing so, this could see a virtual absence of coal trucks entering Richards Bay via the N2 and John Ross highway after about 30 days while those ships already booked are serviced.
“Not only is staging of trucks on the N2 a safety hazard for road users, but the city’s law enforcement personnel have been stretched and their focus has shifted completely from their core duties to controlling truck traffic on the N2.
“This has also come at a huge overtime bill for the city. In our last engagement with the city manager {Nkosenye Zulu}, he advised that the city will be instituting legal action against the
Port of Richards Bay,” said Dlamini.
He said the current port truck booking system does not include trucks destined for back-ofport facilities and the tempo at which trucks arrive exceeds the speed at which they can be processed at the permit offices and the terminal stockpiles.
An urgent meeting of all affected stakeholders is planned for tomorrow (Tuesday) at the port.
How the coal mine, coal and truck owners will react to being excluded from exporting by road remains to be seen, but it hardly seems likely they will take their loss of investment and profits lying down.
The terminal operator is left with no choice but to immediately freeze all vessel nominations for vessels that bring in cargo via road transport