The Durban Car Terminal has registered a massive milestone after handling more than 600 000 vehicles this financial year.
Also known as the DCT, it says this milestone was achieved this week when vessel Cattleya Ace of MOL Shipping offloaded 4 025 fully-built units and then loaded 3 200 Toyota Hilux and BMW X3 models destined for Europe.
BusinessTech Africa has gathered that the facility said the 600 000th unit mark is a historical achievement, “attributed to improved terminal efficiencies through a committed workforce, consistency and eased Covid-19 lockdown restrictions globally”.
The resurgent hospitality industry also stimulated local vehicle demand in the 12-month period, as the car-hire industry fleeted up ahead of the December holidays.
Imports also started flowing more steadily, following an extended automotive global parts shortage in the past two years.
The DCT also saw a rise in transshipment volumes as demand for second-hand vehicles continued to grow, especially in East and West Africa.
The DCT handled, on average, 2 100 fully-built units per vessel throughout the 2022/23 financial year, ending March 31.
“We are constantly reinventing ourselves operationally, introducing initiatives that prioritise maximum benefit to the customer,” said Durban Terminals managing executive Earle Peters.
IOL Business reported that this performance has seen the terminal break its own monthly record on two occasions in the last twelve months, at 72 000 fully-built units in April, and 77 000 units in October.
He says the terminal has also embarked on a number of international benchmarking exercises to improve its performance.
In addition to import and trans-shipment vehicles, the DCT moves 14 of the 17 models manufactured in South Africa to more than 150 markets worldwide, with Europe, Asia, and Africa the biggest customers.
Looking at the cars that were shipped, includes the likes of Toyota Hilux, Volkswagen Amarok, Ford Ranger, BMW X3, and Isuzu KB – as the DCT forms part of a network of 19 Transnet port terminals.
