Port of Richards Bay

🇿🇦 South Africa

Indian Ocean · Bulk Cargo Terminal

UN/LOCODE
ZARCB
Country
🇿🇦 South Africa
Port Type
Bulk Cargo Terminal
Ocean Region
Indian Ocean
Latitude
-28.8000° S
Longitude
32.0800° E

Maritime Risk Context

In the last 180 days, ArcNautical recorded 11 vessel arrivals at Richards Bay, with Cargo accounting for 63% of port calls — in line with the Indian Ocean regional average of 65%. Routes serving Richards Bay in South Africa cross a basin where the risk profile varies dramatically by sub-region. The western Indian Ocean — particularly waters off Somalia, the Gulf of Aden, and the Mozambique Channel — has been historically affected by piracy; while the 2011–2012 peak has subsided, the underlying drivers persist and periodic attacks are still reported. Monsoon timing (southwest June–September, northeast December–March) influences both piracy seasonality and commercial routing. Cyclone activity in the Bay of Bengal (April–May, October–December) and Arabian Sea (May–June, October–November) can produce sustained 100-knot winds. ArcNautical's stochastic scoring uses Monte Carlo to capture this seasonal uncertainty.

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Top Vessel Types (last 180 days)

Across 11 distinct vessel arrivals, 8 carry a confirmed AIS ship-type code. The most common categories at Richards Bay:

63%
Cargo
5 vessels
25%
Tanker
2 vessels
13%
Cargo
1 vessel

Port State Control Context

Richards Bay falls under the Indian Ocean MoU. The Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding does not publish a public bulk detention feed. PSC inspection regimes across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Mauritius, Iran, and the African Indian Ocean states vary in rigour. ArcNautical evaluates vessel-level detention probability using flag performance, age, deficiency history, and ownership opacity signals.

Recent Arrivals at Richards Bay

Last 10 vessel arrivals recorded by ArcNautical's AIS pipeline (last 90 days):

ArrivedVesselFlagType
2026-06-12 EVANGELIA D 🇱🇷 LR Cargo
2026-06-12 JEWEL GOLD 🇵🇦 PA Cargo
2026-06-08 EVANGELIA D 🇱🇷 LR Cargo
2026-06-08 Unknown vessel Unknown
2026-06-03 HLS CITRINE 🇱🇷 LR Tanker
2026-06-02 EVANGELIA D 🇱🇷 LR Cargo
2026-06-02 ARES 🇲🇭 MH Cargo
2026-06-02 HLS CITRINE 🇱🇷 LR Tanker
2026-05-27 ARES 🇲🇭 MH Cargo
2026-05-22 CAPE MINERAL 🇱🇷 LR Cargo

Score a Voyage from Richards Bay

Plan and score a voyage from Richards Bay using 10 intelligence signals. Get composite risk scores, route-level threat exposure, sanctions screening, and fuel/CII estimates.

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Nearby Ports

🇿🇦 Durban
South Africa · Container Terminal · ~85 nm
🇲🇿 Maputo
Mozambique · Multi-Purpose Port · ~172 nm
🇿🇦 East London
South Africa · Multi-Purpose Port · ~333 nm
🇿🇦 Ngqura (Coega)
South Africa · Container Terminal · ~445 nm
🇿🇦 Port Elizabeth
South Africa · Multi-Purpose Port · ~453 nm
🇲🇿 Beira
Mozambique · Multi-Purpose Port · ~559 nm
🇲🇿 Nacala
Mozambique · Multi-Purpose Port · ~981 nm
🇲🇬 Toamasina
Madagascar · Multi-Purpose Port · ~1147 nm