Dry-bulk and break-bulk vessel anchorage waiting time in the Port of Durban’s bulk terminal

Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Dry-bulk and break-bulk vessel anchorage waiting time in the Port of Durban’s bulk terminal
 
Creator Tsabuse, Rotondwa Gumede, Sanele
 
Subject Maritime Studies; Shipping Logistics; Transportation anchorage waiting time; port efficiencies; Port of Durban; maritime supply chain; dry-bulk and break-bulk vessels; port terminals
Description Background: The Port of Durban plays a pivotal role in South Africa’s maritime trade. This article addresses a critical challenge faced by the Durban dry-bulk and break-bulk terminal, which is the excessive waiting time experienced by vessels at anchorage. Lengthy anchorage waiting time results in economic losses for shipping companies and affects the overall efficiency of the port.Objectives: The study aimed to identify the factors that affect the anchorage of dry-bulk and break-bulk vessels while waiting for the berth (WFB) in order to recommend actions that should be taken to reduce vessel anchorage waiting time while WFB at the Port of Durban’s bulk terminal.Method: Qualitative data were obtained through semi-structured interviews, which lends itself particularly well to thematic analysis.Results: The research findings reveal that multiple factors contribute to the extended waiting times experienced by dry-bulk and break-bulk vessels at the Port of Durban. These factors include inefficient cargo handling processes, inadequate infrastructure, congestion, adverse weather conditions, and port capacity constraints. In addition, vessels arriving at the same time while the berth is still occupied further intensify delays, resulting in vessels WFB at anchorage.Conclusion: The study identified and prioritised these factors, which enabled the development of targeted solutions to mitigate the waiting time issue. The proposed solutions encompass both short-term and long-term measures.Contribution: This research emphasises the importance of supply chain collaboration among key port stakeholders.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2026-01-21
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Semi-structured interviews
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/jtscm.v20i0.1232
 
Source Journal of Transport and Supply Chain Management; Vol 20 (2026); 11 pages 1995-5235 2310-8789
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://jtscm.co.za/index.php/jtscm/article/view/1232/2104 https://jtscm.co.za/index.php/jtscm/article/view/1232/2105 https://jtscm.co.za/index.php/jtscm/article/view/1232/2106 https://jtscm.co.za/index.php/jtscm/article/view/1232/2107
 
Coverage Port of Durban; Durban; South Africa — Experience
Rights Copyright (c) 2026 Rotondwa Tsabuse, Sanele Gumede https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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