Our ports must look beyond the terminal gate

Detailed summary

A port’s efficiency is often judged by how quickly it can discharge a vessel, handle containers, and process cargo for ...

A port’s efficiency is often judged by how quickly it can discharge a vessel, handle containers, and process cargo for collection. These are important measures, but they do not tell the whole story. A container that leaves a terminal only to spend several more days waiting for onward transportation has not completed an efficient journey. The delays may have shifted from the waterfront to the hinterland, but their economic consequences remain.

This is one of the more difficult challenges facing ports across Africa. Investments in cranes, deeper channels, automated terminals and digital cargo systems are improving operations within port facilities. Yet the benefits of these investments can be constrained when the road and rail networks connecting ports to inland destinations cannot move cargo at a corresponding pace.

The issue is not always a shortage of infrastructure. In many instances, it is also a question of how effectively existing infrastructure is coordinated.

Consider the journey of a container after discharge. It must be made available for collection, matched with an appropriate transport arrangement, transferred to a truck or railway wagon, and moved through the relevant inland corridor. Each stage involves different organisations, operating schedules and information systems. If these activities are managed independently, delays can occur even when the individual facilities have sufficient capacity.

A terminal may have cargo ready for onward movement while the railway operator has not confirmed a train schedule or wagon availability. Trucks may arrive before cargo is accessible, while inland logistics facilities have limited visibility of incoming shipments. These disconnects create waiting time, reduce asset utilisation and increase the cost of moving goods.

For businesses, the consequences extend beyond port congestion. Longer cargo dwell times tie up working capital, disrupt inventory planning and make delivery schedules less predictable.

The Port of Hamburg…

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