Carriers warn of 20-day delays as congestion crisis at Durban worsens

Appeal to president as congestion at Durban box terminal hits crisis point
Extreme congestion at South Africa’s Durban Gateway Terminal has got so bad that on Friday, ...
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The congestion at Durban Gateway Terminal has worsened, with delays hitting 10 days, and there is little sign that a resolution is imminent creating more frustration among the forwarding community.
Sources told The Loadstar the terminal’s Pier 2 was “materially constrained”, noting that while delays of 10 days were expected, “some individual services are further behind”.
One forwarder told The Loadstar: “Honestly, it is a shit show. ICTSI has taken over one of the terminals and, apparently, productivity at the gateway has worsened. As to getting goods moved, it’s a crapshoot.”
ICTSI acquired 49% of the terminal in January after a contentious battle with APM Terminals, following South Africa’s decision to allow private sector participation in its port operations.
The deal with ICTSI was seen as necessary to contend with decades-long inadequacies in the port’s equipment and congestion, with criticism that improvements were not happening fast enough.
Also, the introduction of new systems necessitated retraining the workforce, which is adding to the delays, with some sources suggesting that there is no resolution in sight.
One local forwarding source told The Loadstar that to clear the cargo backlog would “take at least a few weeks, probably more”, and that was on the basis that the number of ships and containers waiting to be handled did not increase.
Indeed, some carriers are now warning customers to expect delays of 20 days.
The source added that “containers discharged on 11 August are still waiting in the terminal”, and that while the number of free storage days had been extended today, there had been no update on what would happen, going forward.
Part of the problem is that South Africa has struggled since the rerouting of vessels round the Cape from the Red Sea – an issue compounded by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and now responsible for 9% of global port congestion, according to Linerlytica.
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* Delays at the Durban Gateway Terminal have reached 10 days.
* Some individual services are further behind schedule than expected.
* Pier 2 at the terminal was reported as "materially constrained."
* ICTSI acquired 49% of the terminal in January following a dispute with APM Terminals.
* New systems necessitated workforce retraining, adding to delays.
* One forwarding source estimated clearing the cargo backlog would take several weeks or more.
* Some carriers are warning customers about potential delays of 20 days.
* Containers discharged on August 11th are still waiting in the terminal.
* Congestion is compounded by South Africa's rerouting around the Cape and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Extreme congestion at the Durban Gateway Terminal has led to delays reaching 10 days, causing significant frustration among the forwarding community as a resolution remains uncertain. Sources indicate that Pier 2 was materially constrained, and some individual services are further behind schedule despite expectations for 10-day delays. One forwarder described the situation as a "shit show," attributing worsening productivity to ICTSI's takeover of one terminal and the introduction of new systems requiring retraining. Delays in clearing cargo backlog are estimated to take several weeks or more, contingent on the volume of waiting ships and containers. Furthermore, carriers are warning customers about potential delays of 20 days, with containers discharged on August 11th still awaiting handling within the terminal. Underlying issues involve South Africa's struggle since rerouting vessels around the Cape from the Red Sea and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which contributes to global port congestion.

The narrative reflects a systemic failure where infrastructural bottlenecks, exacerbated by ownership transitions and systemic geopolitical shifts, translate directly into tangible operational chaos for the supply chain. The shift in terminal control to ICTSI, framed as a necessity due to pre-existing equipment inadequacies, introduces complexity; when combined with the logistical friction of new system implementation requiring retraining, the outcome is compounded delay rather than streamlined efficiency. The reliance on historical context—the disruption caused by global rerouting and chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz—demonstrates that localized terminal congestion is deeply intertwined with macro-level geopolitical instability. The pattern suggests that attempts at solving operational inefficiency through ownership changes (like the ICTSI acquisition) do not immediately resolve underlying structural impedance; instead, they reorganize where the frustration is perceived, often shifting blame from systemic failures to administrative constraints. The persistent uncertainty regarding future timelines, despite extended storage days, highlights a gap between operational metrics and actual resolution capacity for the community waiting for stable throughput. What factors beyond terminal management—such as global shipping route stability or regulatory friction—are being effectively ignored in these immediate crisis reports? What is the impact of managing acute symptoms (terminal delays) versus addressing chronic causes (geopolitical transit risk)?

Carriers warn of 20-day delays as congestion crisis at Durban worsens

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Carriers warn of 20-day delays as congestion crisis at Durban worsens

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Executive Summary

Full Take