Pretoria - Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has introduced Dual Cycle operations at its Cape Town Terminal, with the aim of further improving productivity and efficiency.
The move will see containers being discharged and loaded simultaneously from a vessel using ship-to-shore cranes.
TPT's Western Cape assistant terminal executive, Hector Danisa, said this will go a long way towards making port operations more time efficient.
Dual Cycle operations are an internationally recognised practice, which save time by minimising empty trips for both haulers and cranes.
Shipping lines also enjoy the benefits of increased productivity, vessel turnaround time and efficiency.
Danisa said the challenges associated with Dual Cycle included identifying suitable vessels with an even split of exports and imports and ensuring they are planned properly to facilitate this type of work.
In addition, resourcing the terminal appropriately for quicker productivity and smarter planning of the stack could become a challenge.
Dual Cycle was piloted at the Cape Town Terminal in early October as a collaborative initiative between TPT and shipping line, Maersk.
The terminal has since worked three vessels with the Dual Cycle operation, with the most recent being the Maersk Dryden vessel on 3 November.
Maersk Operations General Manager in the Western Cape, Dakalo Mboyi, said: "Some glitches are expected in the initial period but the most important thing is that a new way of operation has been introduced and eventually only benefits can accrue from it."
She added that the productivity improvement and other initiatives witnessed in the last few months at the terminal had been pleasing.
