Cape Town, South Africa: Iconic port city where Table Mountain meets vibrant culture and breathtaking coasts.
Cape Town is South Africa's legislative capital and second-largest city, located on the shore of Table Bay in the Western Cape province. With a population of approximately 5.1 million in 2025, it serves as a major urban center and the country's oldest city. The city is renowned for its natural harbor and serves as a critical gateway for maritime trade along the southern African coast. Cape Town's strategic position on the Atlantic Ocean makes it an important shipping hub connecting major international trade routes. The port facilitates significant container traffic, supporting South Africa's economy and regional commerce.
The Port of Cape Town features two main docks: Ben Schoeman Dock housing the container terminal with six deepsea berths, and Duncan Dock containing multipurpose, fresh produce, liquid bulk, and cruise terminals. The port operates 34 berths total, including specialized cold storage facilities for perishable goods like fruit and fish. Ship repair facilities include the Sturrock Dry Dock and Robinson Dry Dock. The container terminal has ground slot capacity of 5,250 slots and 1,500 reefer points, with comprehensive marine services available 24/7.
Cape Town’s container terminal has 6 deep-sea berths equipped with post-panamax gantry cranes. The terminal’s annual capacity is currently 1 million TEU, with upgrades underway to increase this to 1.4 million TEU. Automation is moderate, featuring advanced cranes and reefer plug points, but not full automation. The terminal is operated by Transnet Port Terminals, a division of Transnet SOC Ltd, South Africa’s state-owned freight and logistics company.
Cape Town Port serves as a strategic maritime hub linking West Africa, the Americas, and Europe with Asia, the Far East, and Australia. Positioned at the meeting point of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, it handles significant transhipment cargo and benefits from diverted traffic due to Red Sea disruptions. The port connects to South Africa's extensive road and rail networks, serving the Western Cape's agricultural and industrial centers. It functions as the second-largest seaport in South Africa, facilitating container, bulk, and perishable cargo shipments on major global trade routes.
The Port of Cape Town handled approximately 4.09 million TEUs in the fiscal year ending March 2025, operating through the Cape Town Container Terminal. The port improved its World Bank Container Port Performance Index ranking from 405 to 400, marking one of the strongest gains globally with a nearly 240-point improvement between 2023 and 2024.
The terminal achieves 28 container moves per working hour and has invested in new cranes, upgraded warehousing capacity, and enhanced equipment. The port serves regional and European trade routes and handles significant refrigerated cargo from the Western Cape region.
