Inclement weather and a shortages of staff, some of whom have fallen ill with the coronavirus, have delayed ships from docking in Cape Town — some for weeks at a time. Some vessels have been turned away, while others have opted to bypass the port completely.
“It’s been quite disruptive,” Chadwick said. “Softer fruit is very time-sensitive so it’s important to get it to the market as quickly as possible.” Shipping lines MSC Group and Ocean Network Express Holdings have removed Cape Town from their main Europe route, while CMA CGM SA is charging extra to deliver to the port due to the delays, Business Insider, citing documents it had seen. MSC and ONE will use the Port of Cape Town for its smaller weekly routes, with ONE opting to offload cargo in Port Elizabeth before moving it to Cape Town on smaller vessels, the news website said.