Transnet phases in new port-free approach

Johannesburg - Transnet is phasing in a new harbour-tariff system aimed at reducing the difference in expenses for manufactured goods and bulk commodities.

While the cost of moving containers through South African ports is relatively high, port levies on bulk commodities and shipping lines are much lower by global standards, acting chief executive officer Siyabonga Gama said in an editorial published in Business Report newspaper on Monday.

The company proposed a new tariff structure to the Ports Regulator to “address the anomaly where manufactured goods subsidise primary exporters and vessel owners,” Gama said.

“We are phasing in the new approach and it is already yielding lower cargo dues for containers and automotive exports.”