Andre Klynsmith

Ports and Terminals

The Bid to Fix the World's Worst-Ranked Port: Cape Town's Duncan Dock Goes to the Private Sector

Transnet has formally opened the Port of Cape Town to a private operator, publishing a 25-year concession for the Duncan Dock multipurpose terminal and giving the market until November to bid on running one of South Africa's most troubled quaysides.

Ports and Terminals

28 July 2026 • 4 min read

Transnet National Ports Authority has issued a request for proposals for a private partner to design, finance, operate and modernise the Duncan Dock precinct at the Port of Cape Town. For SADC exporters who route fruit, wine and reefer cargo through the Cape, the outcome of this bid will shape landside costs and reliability for a generation.

What is on the table

The Ports Authority published the request for proposals on the national e-Tender portal on 17 July, inviting private operators to take on a 25-year concession over the multipurpose terminal in the port's Duncan Dock precinct. The successful bidder will be responsible for designing, financing, operating, maintaining and refurbishing berths B, C and D, with new construction where required.

The terminal covers roughly 119,849 square metres and handles a mix of containerised, dry-bulk and break-bulk cargo. The operator will be expected to lift throughput capacity and to modernise ageing infrastructure and handling equipment. A non-compulsory briefing is set for the port on 6 August, with bids closing on 20 November 2026.

Why Cape Town, and why now

The move follows years of poor performance at the Port of Cape Town, which has repeatedly landed near the bottom of the World Bank's global container port rankings. Equipment breakdowns, wind delays and slow turnaround times have pushed some shippers to reroute cargo and have added cost to the Western Cape's fruit and wine export chains during peak season.

The concession is part of a wider Transnet strategy to bring private capital and terminal-operating expertise into South Africa's ports, following the 25-year partnership signed with global operator ICTSI at Durban's Pier 2. The City of Cape Town has publicly welcomed the process, while parts of the industry have called for transparency on how the winning bid will be selected.

What a new operator would need to prove

A concession is only as good as the delivery behind it. Bidders will be judged on their ability to inject capital into cranes and yard equipment, to raise moves-per-hour, and to keep the terminal working through the Cape's notorious wind season. The multipurpose nature of the berths — containers alongside bulk and break-bulk — also means the operator must serve very different cargo owners without letting one crowd out another.

Even in a best case, change will not be immediate: bids close in November, and any handover, mobilisation and equipment investment will run well into 2027 and beyond. The signal, however, is clear — South Africa is willing to hand the keys of a major terminal to a private operator to turn performance around.

About the Author
	Andre Klynsmith Entrepreneur & Technology Enthusiast Andre's expertise spans technology, blockchain, transport, and logistics — with a passion for innovation and driving positive change across industries. info@laaimylorrie.com | laaimylorrie.com