Port stats for April
AFTER shifting more than 8.4 million tonnes of cargo in March, the Port of Richards Bay's volumes dropped to just over 6.5 million tonnes last month.
This is according to the latest statistics released by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), which records movement at the country’s eight sea ports.
The eight ports recorded a combined total of 18 446 925 tonnes of cargo last month, with Richards Bay recording the highest tonnage.
Of the cargo volumes handled last month, 6.3 million tonnes were dry bulk, 151 911 liquid bulk and 45 531 breakbulk. The local port has the largest dry bulk terminal in the country.
The total cargo tonnage moved in April shows a significant decline compared to the same period in 2019.
In April last year, during the Covid-19 hard lockdown, cargo volumes were around 5.3 million tonnes.
This was a result of travel restrictions and the closure of borders globally to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
According to TNPA, output was adversely impacted by regulations that prohibited mines from operating at full capacity.
Richards Bay Dry Bulk Terminal’s loading rate declined to 800 tonnes per hour for the six-month period (2019 - 828 tonnes per hour), and the off-loading rate declined to 416 tonnes per hour (2019 - 459 tonnes per hour).
Of the 129 vessel arrivals at the Port of Richards Bay last month, 22 were tankers transporting oil and chemicals.
A total of 142 20-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers were moved at the local port – 32 TEUs which landed on our shores, while 110 were shipped.