Maritime industry in South Africa - statistics & facts

South Africa is positioned along major international trade routes, and the maritime industry thus plays a vital role in the country’s economy. With a coastline stretching over 2,800 kilometers, South Africa has access to the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, providing abundant opportunities for maritime activities.
The South African maritime industry and its ports are managed by the state-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA), as regulated by a law dating back to 2005. Since then, Transnet has been effectively exercising monopoly power over the sector, restricting access to the market for private companies. As of 2022, the company was managing nine seaports in South Africa, including some of the most prominent South African seaports, such as the Port of Durban, Cape Town, and Richards Bay.

Cargo throughput showing signs of improvement

In 2022, South African ports processed more than 4.4 million TEUs of containers and about 173 million metric tons of dry bulk cargo. The country’s ports saw an increase in throughput in 2022 across all cargo and commodity segments, indicating an improvement in economic activity after the challenging year of 2021 marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. The number of vehicles—an essential type of goods for South African trade—passing through the country’s ports reached over 700,000 units in 2022. The vehicle throughput was 46 percent larger than in 2021 but still below the 2019 and 2020 levels.

Growing criticism of TNPA’s monopoly over the industry

The increase in throughput was reflected in the financial performance of the national maritime industry, at least in revenue. In 2022, the TNPA reported a revenue of more than 12.5 billion South African rands, the highest revenue recorded in the last decade. However, the EBITDA margin—a measure of a company’s operating profit as a share of its revenue—stood at 59.9 percent, up from 58 percent in 2021 but below 65 and 66.8 percent in 2020 and 2019, respectively. The TNPA has been struggling with performance inefficiencies for years, resulting in a restructuring of the company’s operations in 2021.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 10, 2024

Key insights

Share of global seaborne trade loaded in Africa
7%
Share of South Africa's trade value transported by ships
67%
Largest container port in Africa
Port of Durban
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Selected container ports in Africa in 2020, based on throughput (in TEUs)

Water Transport

Selected container ports in Africa based on throughput 2020

Volume of containers processed by the Transnet National Ports Authority in South Africa from 2015 to 2022 (in 1,000 TEUs)

Logistics

Transnet National Ports Authority's total annual container traffic 2015-2022

Container traffic at the Durban Port in South Africa from 2014 to 2022 (in TEUs)

Water Transport

Durban Port: container throughput 2014-2022

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Overview

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Overview

Financials

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Financials

Cargo througput

5

Cargo througput

Freight rates

3

Freight rates

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