South African port authority seeks to revoke decision to reopen Durban port for metal exports

The South African port authority is looking to reserve Durban port for the shipment of essential goods only, revoking a separate statement by the country’s maritime authority to allow processing of metals cargoes during the 21-day lockdown, Fastmarkets has learned.

The Transnet National Ports Authority, TNPA, insisted on April 1 that the current arrangements for usage of the busiest port in sub-Saharan Africa remained unchanged, according to information seen by Fastmarkets.

Metal exports of copper, cobalt and other metal products have been banned from the port since March 23.

No official statement has been published by TNPA yet.

The response came after the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) filed a marine notice on March 31 saying all cargoes can be loaded and offloaded at all ports of the country.

The conflicting statements over usage of Durban port have garnered widespread attention because the blocked port access has led to multiple month-long delivery delays to Asia. Copper products from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia – the two biggest copper-producing countries in Africa – have been diverted to Beira Port in Mozambique, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Walvis Bay port in Namibia due to the lockdown.

What to read next
This guide explores current price trends, breaks down the key copper scrap grades and provides a global outlook for 2025.
The amendment to the name of the price assessment for nickel ore 1.8% basis 15-20% Fe water content: 30-35% Si:Mg ratio<2 lot size 50,000 tonnes, cif China has been delayed following a reporter error. Fastmarkets decided to amend the name of the price assessment, shortening it to nickel ore with 1.8% nickel content, following a […]
Navigating LME nickel: A cautious optimism amid bearish sentiment
There’s broad agreement that DeepSeek has upended the artificial intelligence (AI) sector by developing a cutting-edge large language model that uses less computational power, but whether improved AI efficiency cuts demand for copper in the data centers used to power it is a matter of debate.
Aluminium demand in India is set to continue its sharp growth over the next three years, fueled by an expanding automotive sector in the South Asian country, Fastmarkets heard at the Material Recycling Association of India (MRAI) international conference held in Jaipur on January 28-30.
After a consultation period, Fastmarkets is increasing the publication frequency of two copper concentrates index coefficients — MB-CU-0422 copper concentrates counterparty spread and MB-CU-0423 copper concentrates Co-VIU — from monthly to fortnightly.