Ship repair demand rises as more vessels round the Cape
By Kris van der Bijl
THE Cape of Good Hope is carrying heavier shipping traffic than it has in years, which raises a direct question for the Western Cape marine engineering sector: can the region’s dry docks and repair yards absorb what arrives?
The answer depends on what “arrives” means, and on a distinction Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) drew in response to questions from CBN, between vessels that round the Cape and vessels that call at it.
More vessels round the Cape than call at the Port of Cape Town
TRANSNET National Ports Authority (TNPA) saw a 9% increase to 8,630 in vessel arrivals in visits to the country’s ports for the year to 2025/26, but the Port of Cape Town saw little of this rise.
The increase in arrivals benefited the ports of Richards Bay, Durban, Ngqura and Port Elizabeth rather than Cape Town. Even so, TNPA is looking to have Cape Town tap into the ship repair market, as the crisis in the Middle East is diverting shipping around the cape.
TNPA’s Sikhokhele Mngoma recently told the Cape Town Port Liaison Forum that there was an opportunity for the local marine sector to grow its market share. This is already happening, as two vessels meant to drydock in the troubled Middle East have relocated to Cape Town’s Sturrock drydock.
“Due to geopolitical issues there, the vessels have ended up in Cape Town, and we are doing our utmost to ensure they become return clients,” Mngoma said.
The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the two vessels, a chemical tanker and a liquefied petroleum gas carrier that were redirected to the Sturrock dry dock, will have a significant economic impact, with the repair of a single ship drawing in around 400 people.
Work of this kind runs from hull cleaning and inspection through structural, corrosion and systems repair, the staple of the local yards.
By the chamber’s account, the synchrolift and the Robinson dry dock are fully subscribed, with bookings extending into 2027 and 2028.
The rerouting that mostly bypasses the cargo terminals is, for the repair sector, a potential queue of confirmed work.
TNPA backs Cape Town’s ship repair and floating dry dock capacity
TNPA, responding to my own queries, noted an enhanced operational coordination, revised liquid bulk berthing guidelines and the active positioning of Cape Town for “bunkering, ship repair and crew change services.”
Turnaround supports the case, with container vessels averaging 54 hours in port, dry and liquid bulk vessels 71 hours, and the average anchorage wait improved to four days.
Improved turnaround times here match the investments made in harbour drydocks and other repair facilities.
The Cape Chamber reported in 2025 that the port had issued a request for proposals for a privately operated floating dry dock, alongside a new floating caisson for Sturrock and caisson repairs at the Robinson dry dock, which has served the Alfred Basin since 1882.
The repair work alongside the traffic surge is filling the dry docks while the port builds the capacity to take more.
This also includes the continuing container stack improvements and truck staging facility upgrades currently under way at the Port of Cape Town which “are designed to increase rail capacity, truck staging and container stacking capacity to accommodate significantly higher future volumes.”
For the Western Cape’s marine engineering sector, the rerouting has settled into something perhaps firmer than a surge.
