African container shipping portal releases first half report

A report from portoverview.com examined African port incidents and trends, as well as carrier shipping performance statistics on the main African trades with Asia and Europe.    The African container shipping information portal portoverview.com has released an analytical report on port congestion, carrier reliability, and dwell times in the region.
   The report examines African port incidents and analyzes trends, new developments and carrier shipping performance statistics on the main African trades with Asia and Europe. Portoverview.com plans to release the report every six months as a tool for shippers, traders, logistics and terminal operators, as well as port authorities, investment institutions and non-governmental bodies.
   “As we observed since we started back in October 2012, African ports have experienced extreme highs and lows and will continue to do so for the rest of this decade,” said Victor Shieh, editor of the report.
   Portoverview.com said there is a misperception that container lines or terminal operators are entirely to blame for poor timely container delivery.
   “If we analyze SeaIntel Maritime Analysis’ vessel reliability for the first half of 2015, many lines in trades such as Asia-Africa have recorded their best performances for the last three-and-a-half years in terms of scheduled arrivals,” Shieh said. “Productivity at the quayside and at the stacks have improved at many terminals. However, actual container deliveries perform poorly with less than a one-in-two chance that your cargo will arrive on time at the customer.”
   The report notes the typical hurdles facing container movement in Africa – structural congestion in African ports located in extended urban areas, limited road and rail infrastructure, poor customs procedures, security concerns, poor dredging programs and industrial labor actions.
   “If you contrast the remarkable progress achieved in the construction of the second canal at Suez or the new rail link between Addis Ababa and Djibouti with reduced draft in Durban, the traffic gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway (in Lagos, Nigeria) and a constant two-week wait to berth at Douala (Cameroon), we believe there is a need to provide shippers with true information to facilitate trade to and from Africa,” Shieh said.