Cape Town Container Terminal Surpasses Target, Reports a Noteworthy 62% Increase in Performance Levels
The Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) shines as a beacon of progress in the maritime industry, achieving a remarkable 62% above its target in the week ending 20 July 2025. This record-breaking performance and subsequent growth in the 2025/2026 financial year can be attributed to several key factors.
Firstly, the terminal benefited from focused leadership and strategic investment. Since April 2025, CTCT has been under the guidance of empowered leaders who have prioritised operational excellence and workforce engagement. This focus has led to significant improvements in the terminal's operations.
Secondly, infrastructure upgrades have played a crucial role in CTCT's resurgence. The terminal has invested in terminal infrastructure, including the acquisition of 18 new rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes. Nine of these cranes have already been commissioned, boosting handling capacity and efficiency.
Thirdly, CTCT's people-first approach has been instrumental in driving performance gains. Daily performance targets are clearly communicated, and support structures have been reinforced on the ground, empowering staff and improving productivity.
Despite ongoing challenges such as equipment reliability and weather, CTCT has managed to maximize its resources effectively. This has been key to the terminal's success, especially in the face of adversity.
In June alone, CTCT saw a staggering 64% increase in refrigerated container throughput compared to the same period last year. This growth highlights improved reliability and critical support to South Africa’s export economy.
These combined efforts led to CTCT handling a weekly volume of 19,931 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the week ending 20 July 2025, far surpassing its target of 12,283 TEUs. This marks the highest weekly volume since March 2019.
Over the first quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, CTCT consistently exceeded its targets by 32%, signalling sustained growth. This milestone reflects CTCT’s turnaround and sets a new benchmark for excellence in terminal operations within Transnet Port Terminals.
Terminal Manager, Noxolo Thabatha, stated that CTCT is in a much better position than it was last year. The growth and success of the terminal are a testament to the power of strategic focus, investment, and empowered leadership.
The growth in the 2025/2026 financial year at the Cape Town Container Terminal (CTCT) can be attributed to strategic investments in infrastructure, such as the acquisition and commissioning of 18 new rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes, which boosted handling capacity and efficiency.
CTCT's success is also due to the terminal's people-first approach, where daily performance targets are clearly communicated, and support structures have been reinforced on the ground, empowering staff and improving productivity.
Maximizing resources effectively, even amid ongoing challenges like equipment reliability and weather, has been key to CTCT's success, as demonstrated by the terminal's impressive 64% increase in refrigerated container throughput in June compared to the same period last year.
The sustained growth of CTCT is highlighted by the terminal consistently exceeding its targets by 32% over the first quarter of the 2025/2026 financial year, marking a significant turnaround for the maritime industry and setting a new benchmark for terminal operations within Transnet Port Terminals.
