SOUTH AFRICA – On Tuesday, July 9, 2024, the CMA CGM BENJAMIN FRANKLIN lost 44 containers at sea and reported damage to 30 more due to unexpectedly strong weather conditions off the coast of South Africa.
Despite the incident, there were no injuries to the crew, no pollution, and the vessel remains fully seaworthy. An inspection revealed that all lost containers contained harmless goods.
CMA CGM immediately notified relevant authorities and will proceed to Cape Town for a thorough assessment.
“CMA CGM will contact affected customers individually to share all available information and provide the best assistance in the next steps,” stated a spokesperson from the company.
The ongoing heavy winter storms have further forced Transnet, South Africa’s national transport authority, to temporarily halt ship movements due to safety concerns arising from gale-force winds, heavy rain, and flooding.
The suspension affects ports in the Western and Eastern Cape, including Cape Town, Saldanha, Port Elizabeth, and Ngqura.
“The port authority resolved on not berthing any more vessels until Wednesday, and port terminal gates have been closed since,” Transnet stated.
The Cape Town Container Terminal is dealing with high swells, preventing three vessels from operating due to the terminal’s wind-bound status.
The Ngqura Container Terminal completed its last vessel operations early Sunday morning before the shutdown.
The severe weather has also heavily impacted the agricultural sector, especially in the Cape citrus regions. Citrus growers are unable to harvest this week and packing activities have been disrupted.
Boet Mouton, spokesperson for the Summer Citrus Association, commented, “While it is inconvenient for the citrus sector to deal with the bad weather at the peak of their season, they were still maintaining supply. We do not know what the effect will be on our export operations, but it is likely to occur over the next months.”
Additionally, one vessel scheduled to load citrus for the US market has been cancelled.
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