Durban port closed after downpour makesroads impassable

TRANSNET, South Africa's state- -owned logisticsgiant, suspended its Durban port operations dueto heavy rains that have damaged the roads intothe port, а key hub for shipping containers andmetals such as copper, Reuters reports.

Transnet said shipping has been suspended untilfurther notice as a result of damage caused bythe adverse weather, and vessels on berth are onstandby.

Customers were requested to "hold back" onbringing their trucks into the port, to avoidcongestion.

Transnet also said its Richards Bay ports, as wellas rail lines in some parts of the KwaZulu- Natalprovince, are operating at "limited capacity" as аresult of flooding.

"Transnet Freight Rail's engineering teams willassess the extent of the damage, before fulloperations can resume," the company said.