The winds have forced producers and logistics operators to reroute hundreds of containers to alternative ports across Southern Africa.
The notorious ‘Cape Doctor’ – the annual south-easterly summer wind – has been particularly fierce this season.
As a result, container vessels have struggled to complete loading operations, triggering costly delays at the height of the early table grape and stonefruit export window.
Delena Engelbrecht, CEO of Cape Town–based logistics company GoGlobal, said the situation has escalated to the point where exporters must now rely on three separate ports just to keep fruit moving.
“This week’s vessel left around 350 containers behind in Cape Town because it couldn’t finish loading,” Engelbrecht told Fruitnet.
Walvis Bay, Gqeberha used as alternate ports
Early shipments from Namibia and the Orange River region have been hardest hit.
Grapes from Namibia are now being redirected through Walvis Bay, while fruit from the Orange River is being transported directly to ports near Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape to bypass Cape Town’s bottlenecks.
The diversion is expected to tighten early-season supply in export markets, with the backlog likely to cause several vessels to arrive simultaneously at ports in the UK and Europe.
Initially, exporters anticipated sending about 2 000 containers of Namibian and South African grapes through Walvis Bay this year on MSC vessels. These volumes are now set to increase quite sharply.
Loading inland, stonefruit also hard hit by winds
To mitigate the impact in Cape Town, the season’s first conventional breakbulk vessels are scheduled to depart this weekend.
These ships load fruit directly from inland cold stores at the multi-purpose terminal, which is less affected by strong wind.
The harsh conditions have also affected early stonefruit exports. Despite a promising crop, exporters say the erratic loading schedule is disrupting what should have been a smooth start to the season.
