Meat imports held up

OFFLOADING: AS FESTIVE SEASON APPROACHES, SHIPS WAIT WEEKS

- Ciaran Ryan

A year ago, scores of ships were lying at anchor off the coast of Durban, sometimes waiting weeks to be offloaded. This was because Transnet Ports was unable to handle the festive season rush, with a bit of bad weather thrown into the mix.

This year, meat imports are being held up, but for entirely different reasons.

The Association of Meat Importers and Exporters (Amie), representing 36 importers and 34 associate members on the meat value chain, says meat import removal permits that used to take 48 hours now take eight to nine days.

That means importers are paying more for storage and demurrage (the cost of delays charged by ship owners). These costs will likely be passed on to consumers.

One company reportedly paid R325 000 in demurrage charges over just two weeks, a massive spike from a previously zero base. For smaller importers, these additional charges could prove crippling.

What's behind the delays?