The Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth ports have been ranked among the world’s worst performing container ports, according to the World Bank Container Port Index for 2024, released on Tuesday (23 September).
The World Bank’s CPPI ranks 405 global container ports by efficiency, focusing on the duration of port stay for container vessels.
The Port of Durban ranks last, it has slipped from 399th (out of 405 ports measured) in 2023 to 405th.
Last year, Cape Town was in last place, so has edged up slightly to 400th.
Port Elizabeth was in 404th position in 2023, moving up to 395th in 2024.
This means four of South Africa’s busiest ports are ranked among the worst in the world, continuing the trend highlighted in the 2023 World Bank report.
This year’s report notes that the Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) measures time spent in container ports, strictly based on quantitative data without reference to the underlying factors or root causes of extended port times.
Transnet will take some consolation from the fact that Cape Town and Coega were listed as among the most improved ports between 2023 and 2024. There are undoubted signs of progress not yet reflected in the World Bank study, with Liebherr and Transnet Port Terminals recently concluding a 10-year partnership agreement to modernise SAs ports.
The Port of Cape Town recently took delivery of the first instalment of 28 cranes, also supplied by Liebherr, contributing to a marked improvement in port throughput in recent weeks.
The index is produced by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence and offers a global benchmark for container port efficiency using consistent, verified, and empirical data.
The report, entitled The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) 2020 to 2024: Trends and Lessons Learned, includes a multi-year analysis showing port performance over time.
The CPPI measures the time container ships spend in port, which is a critical point of reference for port users and the broader global economy.
“Sub-Saharan Africa faces persistent structural challenges, including limited automation and weaker hinterland connectivity, “says the report.
The Red Sea crisis added further strain in 2024, notably reducing performance in ports such as Durban and Cape Town, already under pressure from longer vessel waiting times,” the report adds.
The CPPI of Durban and Cape Town is significantly affected by longer arrival times, such as waiting times at anchor, while the time at berth has not changed substantially between 2023 and 2024,” it says.
However, Transnet Group CEO Michelle Phillips said in a recent results media briefing that waiting times for container ships at Durban and other ports are a thing of the past.
Dakar in Senegal recorded one of the largest efficiency gains in sub-Saharan Africa. It has been operated by DP World since 2008 and the improvement follows substantial investment in new cranes, expansion of its yards and the development of a port community system, with much improved rail and road connectivity with the hinterland and neighbouring Mali.
