By Eamonn Ryan
Cape Town has recorded a substantial improvement in its cargo performance, according to the latest Container Port Performance Index (CPPI).
The port’s score rose by 237.9 points to -280.7 – marking the strongest improvement among the 20 ports measured in this period.
Although the port still registers a negative score, its TEU-handling figures for 2023/24 showed the largest year-on-year increase among all 403 ports tracked globally.
Coega (Ngqura) also showed notable progress, ranking fourth in the CPPI’s “Top 20 Ports Improvement” list for the period, with its score climbing by 160.4 points to -283.5.
For Cape Town, vital for the Western Cape’s reefer cargo exports, this represents a rise from a previous “stone last” ranking of 405 to 400.
Compiled by the World Bank in collaboration with S&P Global Market Intelligence, the CPPI notes that while both Cape Town and Ngqura remain in the lower performance bracket, their year-on-year gains are significant.
“Cape Town and Ngqura were among the world’s most improved ports, although they still have progress to achieve to reach average or better global performance standards,” the Bank’s Open Knowledge Repository observes.
The data predates the commissioning of new anti-sway cranes at Cape Town Container Terminal, but even so, the Repository highlights the port’s remarkable turnaround. “The port’s standing has improved significantly from being the worst-performing port to showing strong operational gains, although it still has progress to make to reach average or above-average performance levels.”
The report also notes that Cape Town remains challenged by operational inefficiencies and delays relative to many global ports, despite being on a recovery trajectory.
While the CPPI has faced criticism in the past for using metrics that lack port-specific context, the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (Saaff) has acknowledged the index’s findings. At the same time, it emphasises the need to interpret the results carefully.
“The CPPI is an indicative, time-based measure of container port performance, focusing on vessel time in port – including waiting and berth hours – normalised for ship and call size, and derived from AIS/port-call data using combined administrative and statistical methods,” Saaff explains.
“By design, it does not capture landside logistics performance – such as hinterland connectivity, customs, trucking or rail operations – nor does it account for costs, service quality, pricing, sustainability, or terminal-level variation. It is an indicative ranking, not a comprehensive measure of overall port performance.”
Saaff, which aggregates its own detailed freight data together with Business Unity SA into a weekly Cargo Movement Update (CMU), emphasises its ongoing collaboration with Transnet, the National Roadmap for the Freight Logistics System, and the broader logistics stakeholder network. The goal is to complement the CPPI with multidimensional indicators that provide context on terminal handling, dwell times, gate and rail performance, service reliability, and terminal-level differences.
“The CMU aims to reflect the broader port system’s performance, not only waterside metrics,” Saaff notes, reinforcing the importance of understanding port efficiency in a holistic, evidence-based context.
Source: Freight News