News / Maersk predicts gloomy 2016 container trade prospects for South Africa

© Andrea Willmore

The plunging value of the South African Rand is predicted to continue pushing down demand for container imports into the country, while weak commodity markets pulled down by China’s declining appetite for raw materials is hurting its export business.

According to a new quarterly trade report from Maersk Line, the only sector of the country’s container trades which saw significant growth last year was fruit exports in reefers, which climbed 7% year-on-year, “which is attributed to strong crop output of apples, pears, ...