A three-year programme of development at Cape Town's container terminal is expected to be completed at the end of this year, the Star reported.

The project will see about US$804.1 million spent on civil engineering work and new equipment, including eight new super post-Panamax cranes, which have the ability to pick up two containers at a time.

Moshe Motlohi, the terminal executive for Cape Town port, said that efficiencies had been built in that would reduce the cost of doing business.

An additional 16 rubber tyred gantry (RTG) operations had been phased into the terminal and a further 16 RTGs "are earmarked to arrive in the second half of this year".