Severe Weather Halts Shipping Operations in South Africa

Bad weather and high seas off South Africa are causing major disruptions to shipping in the region, with forecasters predicting more storms to come. Several of South Africa’s main ports remain closed due to the strong winds, leading to a standstill in container traffic in the area. SAMSA (South African Maritime Safety Authority) is conducting an urgent salvage operation after an abandoned cargo ship washed ashore on Tuesday night.

Fabrice Maille, Global Head of Shipping & Agriculture at LSEG Shipping Research, stated that there has been a complete halt in container ship traffic at the Cape of Good Hope since Monday, July 8. This has resulted in congestion and delays as vessels are diverted away from the Red Sea routes. Senior Weather Analyst Isaac Hankes noted that the rough seas off the South Africa coast were caused by a strong cyclone on July 7, along with below-normal temperatures.

Forecasters are warning of another cyclone that is likely to impact South Africa later in the week, with damaging waves reaching the east coast around Durban. The Panama-flagged bulker Ultra Galaxy, abandoned early Monday, is currently stranded in heavy seas after taking on a severe list. SAMSA is working to prevent an oil spill from the vessel, which is loaded with low-sulfur bunker fuel and other oils, as well as a cargo of bagged fertilizer. Transnet, the South African port operator, is also facing challenges with vessels windbound at the Cape Town Container Terminal and the Port Elizabeth Container Terminal. Maersk and other major carriers are diverting vessels around the Cape due to security concerns on the Red Sea routes.

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