Cape Town port's progress in global rankings signals economic potential

The Port of Cape Town has made a remarkable leap in the World Bank's 2024 Container Port Index (CPPI), climbing from the lowest ranks to 400th out of 403 ports worldwide.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis welcomed this leap as a step forward but underscored the urgent necessity for private sector management to build on these gains and drive further efficiencies.

Mayor Hill-Lewis congratulated the port management and the new leadership at Transnet for this encouraging improvement. He remarked, “It is most welcome that Cape Town’s port had the most improved score globally in the latest World Bank index.

However, the port still remains among the bottom five in the world. This shows just how far behind the port has been lagging, underscoring the urgent need for Transnet to bring in private sector management to consolidate these ‘green shoot’ gains.”

Highlighting the economic potential of an efficient port, James Vos, the Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, asserted that optimising port operations could lead to the creation of 20,000 new jobs, an increase of R6 billion in exports, and over R1.6 billion in new tax revenue.

“We should see further rankings improvement due to Transnet’s ongoing R3.4 billion capital investment, including dozens of new cranes this year with critical anti-sway technology. This should enhance the port’s resilience to weather-related disruptions, which have previously diverted goods elsewhere at enormous costs,” Vos added.

Get your news on the go, click here to join the Cape Argus News WhatsApp channel.

Cape Argus