Welcome to another Logistics News Update.
This year our Logistics News Updates are going to be shorter and hopefully more impactful, giving you the high-level view of what is happening across the logistics world.
A quick reminder that China’s Lunar New Year falls on 17 February 2026. If you import from China, now is the time to place your orders and secure space. Many suppliers start slowing down in the days leading up to the holiday period and the disruption normally runs through the full supply chain.
Logistics & Trade Headlines
- Cape Town wind disruption continues to hit peak fruit exports: Ongoing stoppages and slow terminal recovery are impacting table grape and deciduous fruit exports, increasing rollover risk, missed cut-offs and supply chain costs.
- Freight rates soften again but volatility remains high: Global container pricing eased further, creating short-term opportunities on some routes. However, carrier capacity changes can still shift pricing quickly.
- Chinese New Year planning is starting earlier than expected: Space and equipment pressure is beginning to build as shippers move earlier to protect deadlines, which could tighten availability closer to peak cut-off periods.
- Air cargo demand stays strong and supports stable uplift: Global air freight demand remains resilient with improving capacity, helping maintain more reliable uplift on key lanes for time-sensitive shipments.
- Red Sea disruption continues to affect schedules and transit times: Longer routings remain in play on various services which keeps schedule reliability under pressure even when rates soften.
- Transnet upgrades remain central to local performance recovery: Port and rail improvements are progressing, but clients should still expect variability as maintenance programmes and fleet rehabilitation work through the system.
- Cross-border congestion remains a risk for regional road freight: Border processing slowed on certain routes with intermittent delays, increasing delivery risk for time-sensitive movements across SADC corridors.
NEWS
Cape weather caused havoc in shipping
Source: FreightNews – Staff Reporter
Cape Town was hit by severe weather again this week with strong winds and heavy swell disrupting marine operations and vessel movement. The conditions affected both port working time and the wider Cape rotation which immediately put pressure on recovery planning as backlogs continued to build. Even when small weather windows opened up the stop start nature of operations made it difficult for terminals and carriers to regain momentum.
For exporters, the main issue is reliability. Cut-off times shift with little notice, stacking plans get disrupted and the risk of cargo rolling to the next vessel increases sharply. This is particularly challenging for table grapes and deciduous fruit that need to move within tight market windows. Every missed stack date can create extra storage costs, higher transport costs and more pressure on packhouses trying to manage volumes.
Importers are also feeling the knock-on effects. Discharge times are moving out; equipment availability becomes inconsistent and inland delivery planning becomes harder to control. The key takeaway for the week is simple: when Cape weather turns the recovery curve becomes slower and the ripple effect travels through the entire supply chain. Clients should build in buffer time and stay close to their controller so decisions can be made early rather than reacting late.
Key Highlights from Last Week’s Discussions – 11TH January 2026
Source: BUSA, SAAFF, and global logistics data
Port Operations Summary: – Port Update:
Durban 4 days
Cape Town 4 Days
Port Elizabeth 2 days
Coega 2 Days Source: GoComet
1) Port Operations
Headline takeaway: Volumes down overall, Cape Town recovered, Durban Pier 2 reform underway.
- SA ports handled 43,322 TEUs (↓16% WoW)
- Average throughput: 6,189 TEUs/day
- Cape Town (CTCT): 12,173 TEUs (↑44%) as the terminal worked through earlier disruption
- Weather remains a key risk, especially for fresh produce exports
- Durban Pier 1 impacted by vessel knock-on delays, used quieter period for crane maintenance and availability improvements
- Durban Pier 2: Transnet–ICTSI joint venture has commenced
- Capacity growth target: 2.0m to 2.8m TEUs over time
Summary: Volumes were softer overall, weather remains a major disruptor, and Durban’s Pier 2 reform is now moving into delivery.
2) Air Cargo
Headline takeaway: Volumes down, normal post-holiday slowdown.
- Total air cargo: 3,674 tons (↓28%)
- OR Tambo daily averages:
- Inbound: 294,381 kg/day (↓33%)
- Outbound: 230,406 kg/day (↓20%)
Summary: Airfreight volumes dipped but this looks seasonal rather than a structural issue.
3) Road and Border Crossings
Headline takeaway: Border performance improved, better regional reliability.
- Lebombo: ~1,300 trucks/day (↑20%)
- Queue time: ~2.8 hours
- Processing: ~2.5 hours (improving)
- SA median border crossing time: ~8.4 hours (↓33%)
- Broader SADC movement: ~5.2 hours
Summary: Border performance improved which supports better reliability for regional road freight.
4) Ocean Freight and Global Shipping
Headline takeaway: Rates bounced early in the year, volatility still the theme.
- Global spot rates: ↑17.2% to $2,557/40ft from end-2025 into early-2026
- Global overcapacity remains a factor despite the short-term uplift
Summary: Rates have bounced early in the year, but volatility remains, and capacity dynamics still matter.
Global Freight Rates
Weekly Container Rate Update – 27 November 2025
Drewry’s World Container Index fell 4% to $2,445 per 40ft as rates dropped on the main trade lanes
Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is based on reliable sources and has been carefully verified. This Logistics News is distributed free of charge. If you wish to unsubscribe from our mailing list, please reply to this email with “unsubscribe” in the subject line. Please note that all content is adapted or directly quoted from its original sources. We take no responsibility for any inaccurate reporting; we are only adapting the news for you.
This week’s news was brought to you by:
FNB First Trade 360 – a digital logistics platform and Exporters Western Cape
“This information contained herein is being made available for indicative purposes only and does not purport to be comprehensive as the information may have been obtained from publicly available sources that have not been verified by FirstRand Bank Limited (“FRB”) or any other person. No representation or warranty, express, implied or by omission, is or will be given by FRB, its affiliates or their respective directors, officers, employees, agents, advisers, representatives or any other person as to the adequacy, reasonableness, accuracy or completeness of this information. No responsibility or liability is accepted for the accuracy or sufficiency thereof, or for any errors, omissions or misstatements, negligent or otherwise, relating thereto. In particular, but without limitation, no representation or warranty, express or implied, is given as to the achievement or reasonableness of, and no reliance should be placed on, any projections, targets, estimates or forecasts and nothing contained herein should be, relied on as a promise or representation as to the past or future. FRB does not undertake any obligation to provide any additional information or to update the information contained herein or to correct any inaccuracies that may become apparent. The receipt of this information by any person is not to be taken as constituting the giving of any advice by FRB to any such person, nor to constitute such person a client of FRB.”
