Transnet has acquired four new ship-to-shore (STS) cranes worth R967m at the Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2 as part of its plan to modernise South Africa’s busiest port and speed up cargo handling.
Two of the cranes are being commissioned and will start endurance testing and operational handover in the last week of October, while the remaining two are being assembled and will be ready by the end of November.
The new cranes replace an old fleet that has reached the end of its service life. They form part of Transnet Port Terminals’ (TPT) capital investment programme to improve efficiency, reliability and competitiveness at the country’s container terminals.
The new STS cranes, built by Liebherr Africa, feature advanced technology with higher lifting capacity, improved energy efficiency and the ability to operate in wind speeds up to 90km/h compared with the 72km/h capacity of previous cranes.
Speaking at the launch in Durban on Thursday, transport minister Barbara Creecy said the new cranes were a major boost for the port’s efficiency before the peak festive import and fruit export seasons.
“This is to deal with the most intensive peak retail import period before the festive season. Also, on the other side of that intensive retail period, we will begin the fruit season, so these cranes are important because they can load and unload container vessels at speed. They are also important because they can operate in conditions of high wind.
“You would understand that when you’re operating in eThekwini, there are days when the wind speed can get particularly high. That is important because if you can have a downtime in a busy port like this, then you have a crisis because you have to catch up.”
She said Transnet had faced serious challenges in the past, including ageing infrastructure, widespread cable theft and vandalism, high debt levels and years of underinvestment — all of which led to a sharp decline in freight volumes and the 2023 logistics crisis.
“Transnet [then] began an 18-month recovery plan to stabilise the business, and today I’m proud to confirm that this plan and Transnet’s reinvention for growth strategy are yielding clear, measurable results, particularly here in the DTC.”
TPT has set aside R4bn for new equipment in all its operations in the 2025/2026 financial year.
In March TPT unveiled 20 straddle carriers and nine rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes for Durban’s Pier 2 and Pier 1. Creecy said these upgrades have already improved operations, with the port recording a 19% year-on-year increase in the cargo volumes it handled across all its terminals, while the DCT recorded a 28.8% increase during the last citrus export season.
She said improving port performance was part of a bigger plan to fix KwaZulu-Natal’s freight corridor, which carries about 65% of South Africa’s container traffic.
“These upgrades are important because we have to promote efficiency, effectiveness and speed by which we’re loading and unloading ships but also moving them, particular goods, away from the port area into the inland areas where they are expected.”
Transnet Group CEO Michelle Phillips said the cranes represented the parastatal’s long-term commitment to improving service delivery.
“The arrival and commissioning of these cranes is about more than just new equipment; it shows our determination to improve how we serve customers. These cranes will allow us to turn vessels faster, operate in higher winds and reach world-class efficiency levels.
“This investment helps boost our trade competitiveness and economic prosperity.”
TPT general manager Dean Moodley said the new cranes represent a major technological boost for the terminal.
“Our old cranes were 21 years old so there’s a huge and vast difference from those technologies and engineering to that of our new cranes. The new models are remote-operable, feature built-in condition monitoring systems and are designed for reduced maintenance and greater reliability. They are smarter, safer and need less maintenance. They also send real-time data to our engineering teams, so we can fix issues before they cause delays.”
Moodley also noted the cranes’ drive systems have been standardised with those used on Pier 1’s RTGs, enabling more efficient training and maintenance.
“When you standardise, you limit your deviations from skills capability, your material stockholding, and your enhancement of knowledge in how you handle this drive system so it’s quicker and easier,” he said.
“We train our people once and make them experts in the drive systems. If you can handle these cranes, you can also handle the RTGs, so we’re spreading that knowledge as a common base among all the people, thus enhancing operations and limiting downtime.”
Each crane can now handle 24 containers across, up from a previous limit of 18 to 19, allowing the DCT to accommodate larger vessels.
TimesLIVE
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