The Port of Durban has been recognized as the most improved enterprise globally according to the World Bank's Container Port Performance Index for 2025. Meanwhile, the Port of Cape Town ranked at the bottom among the assessed facilities.
According to BusinessTech, the Durban Container Port (DCP), which handles approximately 88 million tons of cargo annually, demonstrated significant recovery after ranking last among global container ports in 2024. This port is managed by the state-owned company Transnet and serves as South Africa's busiest cargo entry point.
The CPPI index, developed jointly with the World Bank and S&P, assesses the operational efficiency of 400 global ports, using vessel turnaround time as the primary performance indicator. In 2024, DCP was classified as the worst port due to long vessel waiting times and high turnover rates.
The 2025 ranking noted a sharp improvement, which CPPI attributes to operational stabilization, equipment restoration, and management reforms. The index also highlighted the substantial contribution to recovery made through increased public-private partnerships.
One of the most significant developments was the awarding in December 2025 of a 25-year concession to International Container Services (ICTSI), a Philippines-based company, to modernize the Pier 2 terminal in Durban. This deal attracted 11 billion Rand in investment into DCP.
CPPI noted that 'operational achievements were supported by new investments and increased private sector participation.' While the Port of Durban rose in the rankings, the Port of Cape Town remained in last place. CPPI attributed this low performance to uncontrollable factors such as adverse weather conditions and equipment reliability issues, leading to high variability in turnaround time.
Nevertheless, local stakeholders dispute these findings. Megan Gobbi, Deputy Chair of the Transport and Freight Committee of the Cape Town Chamber of Commerce, stated that the report does not reflect actual improvements in operations. Despite these objections, market participants agreed that CPPI remains a useful tool for analyzing global port activities.
Transnet, which manages both ports—in Durban and Cape Town—recently considered increasing private sector involvement at the Cape Town facility. The state-owned company requested proposals from companies to manage operations at the Western Cape facility under a 25-year contract. It is reported that Red Sea Gateway Terminal (RSGT), a Saudi Arabian port operator, was considering an application for part of the Cape Town facility as part of its international expansion, particularly in Africa.
Private partnership in Durban has yielded tangible benefits: crane efficiency at Pier 2 increased from 18 to 28 operations per hour since the beginning of the year. Minister of Transport Barbara Crisi recently noted that the Port of Cape Town has begun showing signs of improvement, recording a 16% growth in container traffic volume in the first quarter of the 2027 fiscal year, which occurred before the facility's busiest export season began.
