Durban handled nearly twice as many vessel arrivals as Cape Town in August 2026
Total vessel arrivals (all types) by South African port, August 2026
33%
of national gross tonnage handled at Durban alone
South Africa's eight commercial ports recorded 772 vessel arrivals in August 2026, collectively handling 27.4 million gross tonnes of shipping. But Durban alone accounted for 248 of those arrivals and 9.1 million GT — more than double Cape Town's vessel count and more than Richards Bay and Cape Town combined. Durban therefore remains the undisputed hub of South African maritime trade, commanding a third of the country's total shipping tonnage in a single month.
Daily Maverick · Source: Vessel Arrivals at South African Ports, Vessels – Aug 2026
