A MAJOR flood in South Africa has swept away stacks of containers and disrupted shipping at Port of Durban, the busiest container port in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Intense rainfall in the country’s province of KwaZulu-Natal this past week has flooded settlements and washed away roads, including port access roads.  

According to a recent report from Reuters, 259 people had been confirmed dead as of Wednesday 13 April. Local media reports suggest the death toll is still rising.

Among the footage of damaged homes and debris are images of shipping containers strewn across roads and submerged in floodwaters.  

Port operator Transnet said in an operational update that damage to road infrastructure leading into the Port of Durban had affected access to terminals.

However, a recent terminal status update from logistics service GAC said there has been no major damage to terminal equipment or infrastructure, though some operational areas are currently waterlogged.

Operations across Durban terminals were suspended earlier in the week, though have gradually come back into motion following work to stabilise the situation at the port.

Shipping was also suspended due to large volumes of debris but is expected to resume once safe vessel navigation can be ensured.

Full operational capacity is expected to be restored before the end of the week.

South Africa’s Department of Public Enterprises said in a statement it had been working with Transnet and port stakeholders to assess the damage and carry out risk assessments.

“Priority interventions … include repairing Bayhead Road, which is the main access road to the container terminals at the port and Island View; and investigating alternative access roads into the port while Bayhead Road is being repaired,” the minister of public enterprises said.

“There was a washaway of a section of Bayhead Road at the outfall of the Umhlathuzana canal into the harbour.

“Cargo which will be prioritised for evacuation from the port today includes food, medical supplies and petroleum products.”

Rail freight has also been impacted, the Department of Public Enterprises reporting several tracks out of Durban had been closed.

“Transnet Freight Rail is carrying out ongoing assessments on the rail network in Durban and surrounds to determine the extent of damage before any train services into and out of the port can resume,” the minister said.  

The terminal status update from GAC indicates the focus is now on clearing a backlog of landside traffic at Port of Durban.

Operational disruptions have also been reported at the nearby bulk port of Richards Bay, attributed to the challenge of handling wet cargo.