Saturday, June 8, 2024 In a startling revelation, the World Bank and S&P Global Container Port Performance Index for 2023 has ranked Cape Town’s port as the worst performing among 405 ports worldwide. This ranking, alongside the Port of Ngqura in the Eastern Cape, highlights significant challenges facing South Africa’s port infrastructure and operational efficiency. The index revealed that South Africa’s ports are struggling with performance and competitiveness.
The Port of Durban, the country’s largest and busiest port, was ranked 399th. Even the highest-ranked South African port, the Port of Port Elizabeth, only managed to secure the 391st position. Globally, the Port of Yangshan in China was rated as the best performing port, followed by the Port of Salalah in Oman and the Cartagena Port in Colombia.
These ports have set benchmarks in efficiency, technology adoption, and infrastructure that ports worldwide strive to emulate. In contrast, Cape Town’s poor ranking underscores significant issues in port operations and competitiveness. In sub-Saharan Africa, the Port of Berbera and the Port of Mogadishu in Somalia were noted as the best performing, ranking 103rd and 176th respectively, showcasing a stark performance gap within the region.
The report by the World Bank and S&P Global emphasizes the need for major ports to invest in resilience, new technology, and green infrastructure to stabilize global markets and support the sustainability of the shipping industry. M.