Durban’s port traffic backlog has been significantly cleared, according to industry reports from Danish-owned shipping giant Maersk, a major carrier of South Africa's imports and exports.

As of the latest update, only five vessels are reported at anchor at Durban's Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2, which makes a significant shift from last year, when vessels were left idling at sea for up to three weeks before entering the port's channel.

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) intended to increase container clearing at DCT Pier 2 from 2,500 to 4,000 containers over three months, aiming for a higher throughput, though this target has not been the main contributor to the decrease in backlog, as these targets were not met.

Heavy tariffs from several major shipping companies hoping to reduce the disruptions caused by the world’s worst port systems have rerouted shipping away from South Africa, with Maersk in particular sending ships to Mauritius instead, even for South-Africa-bound cargo.

Additionally, despite the major disruptions in the Red Sea, which saw a major global rerouting of shipping traffic past the Cape of Good Hope, almost none of the ships docked in South Africa, as the reputation for incompetence was deemed too much of a risk.

Despite nominal improvements in Durban, which has received major injections of capital over the last couple of years through the multibillion Rand infrastructure investment program Operation Vulindlela, throughput issues persist at the Port of Cape Town, which has been forced to focus on marginal administrative changes to combat inefficiencies created by moribund infrastructure and a unionised workforce.

The Port of Cape Town has additionally faced weather-related challenges, leading to operational disruptions.

Future updates from Maersk will focus on depot turnaround options in Cape Town, indicating a need for further improvements.