Durban Port, Shipping Capacity, Fuel Neutrality Fee & Upcoming China Holidays

Dear Valued Client

Transnet Fuel Neutrality Charge:

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) have advised that the Fuel Neutrality charge will increase to R78 per container from 1 October 2026. The charge applies to all containers, including imports, exports and transshipments across Container Terminals and Multi-Purpose Terminals. There is no differentiation by container size or type. The R78 charge will be raised as a separate line item in addition to the existing THC and will be reassessed monthly.

Shipping lines such as MSC has also updated their Energy Levy and Fuel Surcharge effective 2 September 2026.

Limited Space from China & the Far East

Space is currently particularly constrained on a number of services from China and the Far East. Ongoing port congestion in Asia, vessel delays and reduced capacity around upcoming blank sailings are placing additional pressure on available bookings. Carriers are already publishing schedule adjustments around the October Golden Week period.

We therefore recommend that importers plan shipments earlier than usual and secure bookings as soon as cargo readiness is confirmed.

Golden Week – October

China’s Golden Week runs from 1–7 October 2026, with the Mid-Autumn Festival immediately beforehand from 25–27 September. This creates a particularly compressed working period in China and is expected to place further pressure on production, trucking, vessel space and bookings. We urge clients to plan cargo movement ahead of time.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year falls on 6 February 2027, with the Spring Festival holiday period beginning around 5 February. Although the holiday is in February, production and logistics activity can start slowing well before the official holiday as factories prepare, workers travel home and export volumes increase ahead of the shutdown. For regular or time-sensitive imports from China and the Far East, we recommend discussing your January and February requirements with suppliers now and building additional time into your supply chain.

Durban Port & Landside Conditions

Durban continues to experience significant operational and landside pressure, with limited terminal booking availability, extended truck waiting times and congestion affecting the movement of containers in and out of the port. The congestion at DGT is also impacting vessel schedules, with some vessels omitting Durban and returning at a later stage, while existing vessel schedules and ETAs are being pushed out by two weeks or more in some cases.

These delays are having a knock-on effect throughout the supply chain, with container availability, delivery planning and transport bookings all being affected. Importers should therefore allow additional time when planning stock requirements and deliveries, particularly for time-sensitive cargo. SCT continues to monitor vessel movements and landside conditions closely and will keep clients updated as reliable information becomes available.

Should you have any queries, please feel free to contact us.