THE East London Terminal recorded a 67 percent increase in container volumes at the end of May. The terminal had budgeted for the handling of 3058 twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEU) but ended up moving 5131 TEU. The bulk of the containerised cargo in the region services the automotive sector.
Terminal Manager Naliya Stamper says the automotive industry has had shortages on critical parts needed to fully assemble vehicles owing to COVID-19 interruptions but for the month of May, East London has seen higher export volumes. In the same month, the terminal exported 17 percent more fully built units (FBU) totalling 7688 against a budget of 6555. The number of vessels calling the terminal also increased from four vessels in January to between nine and 11 in the last four months ending May.
According to Stamper, the operational team had also managed to perform above key performance indicator targets averaging 183 units per hour at the end of May against a target of 160. “Sticking to maintenance regimes to ensure 100 percent equipment availability, having employees show up for duty and finding opportunities to improve efficiencies daily made this achievement possible” says Stamper. The terminal currently has a design capacity of 5054 fully built units, 93000 twenty foot equivalent units(TEU) as well as 66000 tons for agricultural bulk.
