Durban port is one of the worst in the world - but a Filipino giant may come to its rescue

As the performance of a dysfunctional Durban port grows ever more dismal, much hope is pinned on Transnet's new partnership with Filipino ports giant International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) to upgrade and expand a portion of the port.

The partnership is hoped to arrest the decline in competitiveness of sub-Saharan Africa's largest and busiest port. It is also seen to mark a definitive change in strategy to allow greater private sector participation in SA's embattled logistics sector.

Last month, Transnet announced ICTSI had been selected as the preferred bidder for a joint venture to develop and upgrade the flagship Durban Container Terminal Pier 2 - Transnet's biggest container terminal, handling 72% of the Port of Durban's throughput and almost half of South Africa's port traffic.