(Bloomberg) -- South African authorities struggled to reopen the nation’s main port, two days after it was closed by flooding that killed more than 250 people.

Transnet SOC Ltd., the state-owned port and rail operator, is gradually resuming operations at the Port of Durban that was shuttered on Monday, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan said in a statement. Shipping remains suspended while the authorities determine whether its safe for vessels to dock, he said.

At least 253 people have died because of the floods, Johannesburg-based broadcaster eNCA reported. The deluge came after weather stations in the eastern region reported the heaviest rainfall in at least six decades, with some recording more than 300 millimeters within 24 hours -- an amount normally associated with intense hurricanes.

A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, the world’s biggest container line, closed its Durban offices and asked employees to work from home for the rest of the week. MTN Group Ltd., Africa’s biggest mobile operator, paper company Sappi Ltd. and other firms have been affected by the floods. Insurers Old Mutual Ltd. and Santam Ltd. said they are assessing the extent of the destruction.

“The damages seem quite severe and we have received a significant volume of claims,” said Ronald Richman, chief actuary at insurer Old Mutual. “We expect a significant number of new claims will be reported in the coming days, and we have mobilized our teams to deal with the expected volumes to ensure continuity of customer service in these difficult times.”

Old Mutual shares fell as much as 6.2% and Santam dropped as much as 2.4%.

The country’s main freight group urged truck drivers to stay away from the harbor area, which it described as “a disaster” because of damage to access roads, container yards, vehicles depots and trucks. Queues of trucks as long as 10 kilometers (6 miles) formed along the N3 highway that connects the port to the commercial hub of Johannesburg, the Road Freight Association said in a statement.

“Logistics operations will be impacted: there will be delivery disruptions for goods being imported,” said Gavin Kelly, chief executive officer of the Road Freight Association. “The association has advised members to delay any departures towards Durban, and to find depots and safe parking areas along the way.”

Durban is part of the eThekwini municipality, the largest in the KwaZulu-Natal province, which is the second-biggest contributor to South Africa’s $429 billion gross domestic product. The Port of Durban is sub-Saharan Africa’s largest container hub. It handles 60% of the country’s shipments and also transports goods and commodities to and from nations in the region as far north as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The disaster unfolded less than a year after a week of rioting and looting in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng provinces cost the economy an estimated 50 billion rand ($3.5 billion) in damages and left more than 300 people dead.

More rain is forecast for the KwaZulu-Natal province this weekend, with the risk of localized flooding and strong, damaging winds, according to the South African Weather Service. A low-pressure weather system that caused the devastation in the province is expected to move away from the country, it said.

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