PORT OF CAPE TOWN: Back on Course
An executive reshuffle across Transnet National Ports Authority saw Ophelia Shabane step up to lead at the Port of Cape Town in 2024. She forms part of an ambitious leadership team that is captaining a turnaround strategy that will deliver efficiency and improvement across all operations. She tells Enterprise Africa more about success in the past 12 months.
Supported by:
At the foot of Table Mountain, beneath the bright blue skies and Atlantic gales, the Port of Cape Town is undergoing a long-overdue transformation. For years, this vital artery of South African trade was held back by inefficiencies, battered by equipment failures, and caught in the clutch of natural elements that made reliable port operations nearly impossible. Ranked among the lowest globally for container port performance, the Port of Cape Town had fallen far from its potential as a national economic enabler. But a year on from the implementation of major recovery strategies by Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), signs of progress are becoming tangible.
In a place where high winds often dictate the pace of work, and decades of underinvestment have choked performance, steady improvement is a victory.
“I am passionate about efficient operations,” Senior Operations Manager, Ophelia Shabane, tells Enterprise Africa. “I started in Operations as a Tug Master before becoming Operations Manager in charge of marine operations. I’ve seen ports from the sea, from the waterside, and from landside. I’ve always wanted to see how efficiencies could be improved, and that’s the key objective across the port now.”
Shabane, who stepped in as acting Port Manager in February 2024, brings a wealth of operational expertise from stints at Durban and Port Elizabeth. Her approach has focused heavily on stabilisation and motivation. “You can’t execute anything without the full support of your team. With structural challenges ongoing, there’s been emphasis on stabilising and ensuring that our people are moving with one purpose.”
RECOVERY STRATEGY
The past year has tested Transnet and TNPA, as both entities have sought to regain the trust of customers and stakeholders. Cape Town’s port – a gateway for the country’s prized wine, citrus, and other agri exports, and a lifeline for imports into southern Africa – faced mounting pressure. “There was anxiety about the performance of the group,” says Shabane. “We had a task to provide direction in the Port of Cape Town in terms of where Transnet is going and where TNPA is going.”
Key to building confidence has been transparency, engagement, and targeted investment. Staff development, a major internal focus, has been matched by a wave of new equipment purchases. From second-hand cranes to new marine vessels, the effort has been relentless, and the results are starting to show.
The most significant success story so far has been in the container terminal, long a point of friction for import/export. Where previously the port battled with gross crane moves per hour (GCH) of just 9-10, performance has climbed to an average of 17 GCH. “That’s not where we want to be as a port,” admits Shabane, “but it’s a strong indicator of the improvement we’re working towards.”
Ship working hours per vessel have increased from 25 to 31, a meaningful jump in operational output. Truck turnaround time has also improved, falling from 57 minutes to 53, with further efficiencies planned. Most dramatically, marine services delay time – a serious hindrance in recent years – has been slashed.
“We were sitting with an average delay of three hours and 34 minutes,” says Shabane. “Now we’re just over one hour.”
This has been achieved through new equipment and more effective planning. Two launch boats have been delivered to aid vessel movement, with plans to expand the tug fleet to five vessels. These upgrades have been made possible through a capital expenditure drive under TNPA’s craft renewal programme, while the recruitment of new personnel has brought in much-needed capacity.
LEARNING FROM SETBACKS
In 2024, then-Port Manager Rajesh Dana (now managing executive for all ports in the west), told Enterprise Africa about a number of projects designed to improve performance sustainable over a longer period. While some projects have struggled to take off – notably, the port’s attempt to attract interest in a new LPG terminal – lessons have been learned. Market feedback indicated that LPG was not a viable commodity for the Cape Town market, with space constraints compounding the challenge. A redirection of this activity to Saldanha Bay, where LPG is already a prominent commodity, was a pragmatic decision.
An RFI around LNG yielded more constructive results, revealing market appetite for ISO containers rather than a fixed terminal – a direction now being explored. These insights have helped refine the port’s long-term development strategy.
The Container Expansion Project, a centrepiece of TNPA’s ambitions, remains on track for completion in December 2026. It will deliver a new truck staging area and extended terminal capacity, critical to alleviating space limitations. Adjacent to this, the Culemborg back-of-port development is gaining momentum, with planning well underway to create storage and administrative facilities that support port operations.
WEATHERING THE STORM
Cape Town’s notorious winds have long been a disruptive force, with swells and gusts frequently grinding operations to a halt as wind speeds hit up to 120km/h. Through collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), TNPA is now developing predictive models to help better prepare for weather events. Shore tension units – devices that stabilise vessels in volatile conditions – have also been deployed in greater numbers.
“We had four, now we have 10,” explains Shabane. “Every container berth now has them, and we have spare units to double up for large vessels. That has been a considerable assistance in combating weather.”
This improved weather resilience is cutting downtime, particularly through Cape Town’s blustery winter months. The knock-on effect for customers is significant, allowing for better scheduling and reduced exposure to costly delays.
A collaborative approach is also defining TNPA’s future, with growing private sector involvement through concession agreements. One such deal has seen the successful establishment of a liquid bulk terminal, and further concessions are in the pipeline for three additional facilities.
“We are continuing to issue Section 56 processes,” says Shabane, referring to Transnet’s framework for bringing in new terminal operators. This model is proving successful, leveraging external expertise and investment to support TNPA’s goals.
BRIGHT HORIZON
Looking ahead, Cape Town’s port is poised for further improvement. Major upgrades are set to continue, including the delivery of rubber-tyred gantry cranes (RTGs) and haulers for the container terminal. The aim is to raise ship working hours to 40, a target considered realistic given recent momentum. More launch boats and additional tug capacity will further enhance marine services.
These developments are anchored in a wider commitment from government and Transnet leadership to revitalise national infrastructure. “Transnet and TNPA are on the way to recovery,” says Shabane. “The Minister of Transport and all of the executives have shared in the turnaround strategy, and that drives us forward with force.”
While challenges remain – from economic uncertainty across southern Africa to physical constraints around the port footprint – the direction of travel is now unmistakably positive. The drive to train staff, modernise assets, and engage with customers has lifted the Port of Cape Town from the brink and placed it firmly back on a trajectory of progress.
“We are very hopeful that all efforts will give us quicker turnaround times and improved efficiency. We want every ship that comes in to have the fastest turnaround time, and the shortest stay so they can carry on doing their business,” says Shabane.
No longer languishing at the bottom of performance rankings, Cape Town’s port is earning back its reputation as a vital and dependable trade hub for the region. With new ideas, hard-earned wins, and a clearer focus than ever, the winds of change are starting to blow in the right direction.