Transnet Partners with Belgian Port Specialists in Bid to Improve Performance

Transnet has strengthened its international reform drive by signing a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Port of Antwerp-Bruges International (PoABI) and the Antwerp/Flanders Port Training Centre (Apec), as the state-owned logistics group intensifies efforts to modernise South Africa’s ports and improve operational efficiency.

The agreement was concluded in January on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos and establishes a long-term cooperation framework focused on port performance, infrastructure planning, digitalisation and sustainability across Transnet’s port system. It comes amid mounting pressure on South Africa’s logistics network, where port efficiency remains a critical factor for trade competitiveness and economic growth.

The MoU provides for advisory and technical support spanning managerial, operational, strategic and governance functions within Transnet. It also includes structured training programmes, benchmarking initiatives and institutional capacity-building aimed at improving the performance of Transnet’s port and logistics divisions.

Beyond terminal operations, the partnership extends to hinterland corridor development and foreign investment facilitation. This includes exploring opportunities linked to the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, which mobilises funding for sustainable infrastructure projects in transport, energy and digital networks.

Transnet Group Chief Executive Michelle Phillips said the agreement aligns with the company’s broader Reinvent for Growth strategy, which prioritises modernisation, expansion and optimisation of port infrastructure through targeted investment and strategic partnerships.

“This partnership comes at a critical time as we accelerate the modernisation of our ports and strengthen South Africa’s position in regional and global trade,” Phillips said.

The Belgian partners said the collaboration will focus on both traditional port efficiency metrics and emerging priorities related to the global energy transition. Kristof Waterschoot, managing director of PoABI and Apec, said the agreement builds on a long-standing relationship while addressing “trending topics like energy transition and de-carbonisation, alongside classic themes such as operational efficiency and port logistics”. PoABI CEO Jacques Vandermeiren described the MoU as a new chapter centred on expertise sharing, capacity-building and sustainability.

The agreement follows Transnet’s recently finalised 25-year partnership with International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) for the upgrade and operation of Durban Container Terminal Pier 2. That deal, which will see ICTSI invest about R11 billion into new equipment and technology, is expected to significantly increase container handling capacity and productivity at South Africa’s busiest port terminal.

Together, the ICTSI concession and the Antwerp-Bruges partnership reflect a coordinated strategy by Transnet to crowd in private-sector expertise and international best practice in a bid to reverse years of underperformance at state-owned ports.

To ensure implementation, Transnet and its Belgian partners will establish a joint monitoring committee tasked with coordinating activities and tracking progress under the MoU, as the parastatal continues its push to restore confidence in South Africa’s logistics system.