New AI Wind Predictor Targeted at Reducing Cape Town Container Bottlenecks

A "wind predictor" tool has been developed for the Transnet National Ports Authority to assist operational management at wind-affected ports, notably Cape Town.

PortOps is a home-grown decision-support platform designed by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and scheduled for release later this year. It will help improve container planning and handling operations at the Cape Town Container Terminal to support cargo owners, the fresh produce industry, and exporters.

"It will deliver more reliable wind predictions across two forecast horizons by integrating wind operability forecasts with operational decision support," the CSIR said in a media release. "Both forecasts feed into an operability forecast. These forecasts are integrated with operational data within the PortOps platform to indicate when the port is likely to be wind-bound. This integration provides valuable decision-support for operational planning across the 10-minute to five-day forecast horizon."

PortOps achieved up to 85% operability prediction accuracy during its pilot phase between September 2025 and January 2026.

"PortOps helps port stakeholders anticipate and mitigate operational downtime, vessel delays, crane stoppages, and container congestion—issues that can lead to high storage costs and losses in fresh produce exports, ultimately impacting the economy," the CSIR noted.

The platform is supported by Parliamentary Grant funding and built on collaboration among the CSIR, Transnet National Ports Authority, Transnet Port Terminals, exporters, and logistics stakeholders.

CSIR engineer Johan Kieviet said weather remains one of the port's biggest operational constraints, as ships cannot be safely loaded or unloaded in high winds. "Stakeholders have shown significant interest in the PortOps tool, and it builds on progress made with other digital logistics support systems," said Kieviet.