Technical Data
Port Specifications
- UNLOCODE
- ZARCB
- Port Type
- Bulk
- Terminals
- 7
- Berth Count
- 46
- Max Draught
- 14.3 m
- Country
- 🇿🇦 South Africa
Conditions
Current Weather
Overview
About This Port
South Africa's largest deep-water port by cargo volume and the world's largest coal export terminal. Located on the KwaZulu-Natal coast.
Location
Coordinates
28.8100°S, 32.0983°E
View on Google Maps →External Resources
Official Website
Expected arrivals
5 inboundVessels underway broadcasting a destination that resolves to this port, closest first. Distance is the real sea route (around land and through canals); the computed ETA is at the vessel’s passage speed. The crew’s own reported ETA is shown alongside for comparison.
| Vessel | Type | Distance | Speed | ETA (computed) | Crew ETA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STAR DIAMOND | Bulk Carrier | 123 nm | 12.0 kn | 30 Jun | — |
| GANT NEREA | Bulk Carrier | 123 nm | 11.9 kn | 30 Jun | 29 Jun |
| SURABAYA EXPRESS | Wood Chips Carrier | ~4475 nm | 11.5 kn | — | 14 Jul |
| CAPE ISLAND | Bulk Carrier | ~4475 nm | 10.7 kn | — | 21 Jul |
| MARAN VENTURE | Bulk Carrier | ~4476 nm | 11.5 kn | — | 9 Jul |
Network
Connectivity & hub role
How central Richards Bay sits in the sea-route network we cover — a connectivity score across navigable distances. A higher score means the port is navigationally close to many other well-connected ports, the maritime signature of a hub.
Directly routable to 179 other covered ports.
- ZAPort of Durban123 nm
- MZMaputo203 nm
- ZACape Town995 nm
- MUPort Louis1,567 nm
- KEPort of Mombasa1,636 nm
- NAWalvis Bay1,713 nm
- AOLuanda2,632 nm
- CGPointe Noire2,854 nm
Method. A connectivity score across our own route network: a port reads higher when it is navigationally close to many other well-connected ports. The score is rescaled 0–100 within the snapshot, so the single most-connected port reads 100. Distances are Suez / Panama / Malacca-aware navigable sea miles.
Coverage. The route network spans the 180 largest commercial ports, so this ranks hubs within that covered network, not against every port on earth. The number is deterministic — no confidence grade is invented. Computed Jun 30, 2026.
Community
Port Comments