# Port Elizabeth (ZA PLZ)

**UN/LOCODE:** ZA PLZ  
**Country:** South Africa  
**Water Body:** Indian Ocean  
**Harbor Size:** Medium  
**Harbor Type:** Coastal (Breakwater)  
**GPS:** -33.9519, 25.6425

Transnet Port Terminals runs Port Elizabeth as a multipurpose port on Algoa Bay in South Africa's Eastern Cape, handling containers, motor vehicles, citrus and other fruit, and manganese ore. It is organised into a container terminal with three berths over about 925 m and a capacity of roughly 375,000–400,000 TEU a year, a car terminal, a fruit terminal and a manganese terminal, making it the country's largest manganese export point. Manganese ore reaches the quays by Transnet Freight Rail from the mines of the Northern Cape, while road and rail link the port to the regional automotive and agricultural economy. In April 2025 Transnet commissioned a new ship-to-shore (STS) crane at the container terminal to speed up handling. Because the city-centre basin is relatively shallow, larger container services and the manganese trade are progressively shifting to the deep-water Port of Ngqura. Ngqura, about 20 km to the north, is the reference for large container vessels and transhipment, while Durban remains the main east-coast alternative.

## Transit Times & Routes

- [Durban → Shanghai](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/durban-shanghai)
- [Durban → Shenzhen](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/durban-shenzhen)
- [Durban → Guangzhou](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/durban-guangzhou)
- [Durban → Hong Kong](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/durban-hong-kong)
- [Durban → Tokyo](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/durban-tokyo)
- [Durban → Busan](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/transit-time/durban-busan)

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*Freight Academy — Seaport Profile: [https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/port-elizabeth-port-za-plz](https://www.freight-academy.com/en/information/seaports/port-elizabeth-port-za-plz)*

*Markdown mirror: [https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/port-elizabeth-port-za-plz](https://www.freight-academy.com/api/md/seaports/en/port-elizabeth-port-za-plz)*

*LLM-Summary (JSON): https://www.freight-academy.com/api/v1/seaports/port-elizabeth-port-za-plz/llm-summary?lang=en*