South Africa ports directory
Data refreshed 2026-10-11T20:35:08Z · quarterly refresh cycle
IMF PortWatch tracks 6 ports in South Africa (ZAF) with 8,031 vessels observed on the day of extraction; 4 of them reach the Tier-A activity threshold (≥1,000 vessels).
Sources: Kpler; UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org).
| Port | Vessels | Container | Dry bulk | Gen. cargo | RoRo | Tanker | Import share | Export share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durban | 2,626 | 730 | 700 | 301 | 307 | 588 | 57.03% | 22.34% |
| Port Elizabeth | 1,886 | 537 | 640 | 88 | 108 | 511 | 16.64% | 12.61% |
| Richards Bay | 1,696 | 13 | 1,295 | 127 | 5 | 254 | 3.84% | 21.82% |
| Cape Town | 1,007 | 534 | 108 | 177 | 7 | 180 | 11.58% | 5.33% |
| Saldanha Bay | 582 | 0 | 499 | 20 | 0 | 60 | 2.82% | 22.28% |
| East London | 234 | 36 | 5 | 18 | 80 | 93 | 2.12% | 1.04% |
6 of 6 ports carry a UN/LOCODE; all ports in this layer are SIP-class. Import/export shares are each port’s share of national maritime trade.
Dominant cargo industries
Petroleum, Chemical and Non-Metallic Mineral ProductsMining and QuarryingElectrical and MachineryMetal Products
Frequently asked questions
Which is the busiest container port in South Africa?
Durban leads South Africa by tracked container-vessel activity with 730 containership calls counted on the day of extraction (IMF PortWatch).
Which port handles the most imports in South Africa?
Durban handles the largest recorded share of South Africa maritime imports, 57.03% of the national total in the latest PortWatch extraction.
How many ports are tracked in South Africa?
IMF PortWatch currently tracks 6 ports in South Africa; this directory profiles every one of them with activity, cargo mix and trade-share data.
US antidumping & countervailing duty cases — South Africa
Related trade guides
Port data — Sources: Kpler; UN Global Platform; IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org). Reused under the IMF Copyright & Usage terms. Fields subsetted (geometry omitted); see our data sources note. The IMF is not affiliated with and does not endorse ExportSonar.