South African container ports have achieved a new operational milestone, moving a record 18,689 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in a single day in August, the highest daily volume recorded since the pandemic.
The Southern African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) confirmed the achievement, highlighting the resilience of the country’s maritime sector despite internal inefficiencies and shifting global trade dynamics.
SAAFF Chief Executive Juanita Maree said the performance marks a turning point after two challenging years.
“The last 24 months have been challenging, but with new equipment, amended processes, and collective effort, port performance is stabilising.
This is not the success of one, but of many – SAAFF members and industry partners have played a vital role in this journey,” she said, according to Africa Ports.
The record was set on Week 20, Day 4 of Transnet’s financial year, when major container terminals collectively handled 18,689 TEUs.
Although just below the 20,000 TEU target, Maree described the milestone as evidence of the “resilience, collaboration, and determination of our logistics community, port operators, and industry stakeholders.”
Industry observers say the record sets a strong benchmark for continued improvement in South Africa’s port performance, even as the sector faces policy pressures, infrastructure limitations, and changing global trade flows.
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The milestone comes amid rising external and domestic challenges. U.S. tariffs under President Donald Trump’s regime have introduced new costs and competitive pressures on key exports, particularly affecting the mining and agricultural sectors.
These external pressures are compounded by ageing port infrastructure, limited cargo-handling capacity, and recurring delays that increase operating costs for shipping lines and traders.
The challenges were further intensified by global shipping giant Maersk’s decision to scale back operations in South African ports.
Analysts warned that this could reduce throughput, dampen investment confidence, and weaken the country’s position as a gateway for Southern African trade.
Maersk has redirected some operations to other continental ports, highlighting the risks South Africa faces if operational bottlenecks and policy frictions are not addressed.
Despite these headwinds, the record daily throughput shows that Transnet-operated terminals retain the capacity to scale up when demand rises.
However, critics caution that such gains will be difficult to sustain without structural reforms to improve efficiency, resilience, and long-term competitiveness.
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Image Credit: Business Insider Africa
