Ports & Shipping

The ports of South Africa play an important role in the South African economy and of neighbouring (landlocked) members of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Approximately 96 % of the country’s exports are conveyed by sea, and the following eight commercial ports in South Africa:

• Richards Bay and Durban (KwaZulu- Natal)
• East London, Port Elizabeth and the Port of Ngqura (Eastern Cape)
• Mossel Bay, Cape Town and Saldanha Bay (Western Cape).

If one port experiences any sort of delay or interruption, the effect is often felt across the entire region. The ports of South Africa are gradually becoming more settled, with privatization measures banished (for the present) from South Africa’s ports and replaced with large-scale government investment and resulting in more efficient cargo handling procedures and improved infrastructure with much improved service levels. At the same time the port structure remains under the ownership of state-owned Transnet National Ports Authority, being responsible for port management of the eight commercial ports.