Walvis Bay ranks above SA harbours

ELLANIE SMIT WINDHOEK The Port of Walvis Bay has been ranked above South African harbours in a World Bank report ranking the efficiency of competent container handling facilities.The report ranked Walvis Bay at 307th among the world’s 351 container handling facilities. Durban harbour was ranked in the bottom three of the rankings (349), according to a statistical approach.Other South African harbours battling low rankings in the report were Ngqura, located northeast of Port Elizabeth, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town.The inaugural edition of the ‘Container Port Performance Index 2020: A Comparable Assessment of Container Port Performance’ (CPPI) was produced by the World Bank with external assistance from IHS Markit research enterprise.The report was based on two different methodological approaches. In terms of the administrative approach, which considered the knowledge of experts, Walvis Bay was ranked at number 336.Durban was ranked lowest at 351, with Marseille in France at 350, then Ngqura (349), Port Elizabeth (348) and Cape Town (347).The top-ranked container ports in the CPPI 2020 are Yokohama Port (Japan) in first place, followed by King Abdullah Port (Saudi Arabia) in second place. These two ports occupy the same two positions irrespective of the methodology.Critical roleAccording to the report, the Covid-19 pandemic has underlined the critical role that ports, and their associated logistical chains, play in the global economy.It has also highlighted the need for ensuring business continuity and improving the resilience of maritime gateways, as ports act as crucial nodes in the global logistics system, keeping supply chains moving, economies functioning, and people employed.Namibian Sun recently reported that the coronavirus-inspired lockdown in South Africa was credited in part with increased cargo at the port of Walvis Bay, which has become preferred to the ports of Durban.The other factor is the recent expansion of the port, officials confirmed.Landlocked countries like Zambia, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe now prefer shipping through Walvis Bay rather than South Africa.

Walvis Bay ranks above SA harbours

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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Walvis Bay ranks above SA harbours

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Namibian Sun 2025-09-16

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