Severe November Wind Disrupts Cape Town Port Operations, Causing Record Downtime
The Port of Cape Town faced its worst month in five years due to severe wind conditions in November, resulting in 387 hours of closure. This equates to 16 full days of downtime, a significant increase from the 272 hours recorded in November 2024. According to the Cape Town Port Liaison Forum, the port has accumulated 2019 closure hours year-to-date, compared to 69 days over the same period in 2024.
The wind disruption had a notable impact on fruit exports, particularly grapes and stone fruit, which had to be rerouted through other ports. Logistics companies, such as GoGlobal, faced challenges as exporters struggled to keep fruit moving efficiently. As a result, vessels were leaving Cape Town with around 350 containers behind due to loading delays.
The Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) experienced limited operation during the week of November 17-23, being fully operational for only one day and windbound for 130 hours. The previous week, CTCT worked for two full days and intermittently on two days, highlighting the ongoing impact of wind on port operations.
To address the wind-related challenges, the Port of Cape Town is implementing new measures. The introduction of rubber-tyred gantries with an anti-sway mechanism will enable operations in wind speeds exceeding 100kmph. While only nine new RTGs were operational in November, another nine were expected to come online by the end of the week, aiming to improve port performance and reduce downtime.
