Import volumes at the Port of Mombasa are on the up following the lifting of Covid-related restrictions.
There’s been steady growth in import volumes of general and containerised cargo, according to the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), which projects that February volumes will surpass those of 2020 and 2019.
"We are expecting to handle over 115 000 TEUs against 108 000 TEUs in 2020," said KPA acting managing director, Chief Engineer Rashid Salim.
For non-containerised cargo the port expected to handle over 1 million tons against 800 000 tons handled last year, representing an increase of 20%, he added.
Enhanced efficiency had seen cargo dwell time reduce from an average of 5.6 days in December 2020 to 4.6 days in January, said Salim.
He attributed the improved performance to joint measures undertaken by KPA, working alongside shipping lines and other port stakeholders to streamline operations.
According to Salim, rail transport has contributed significantly to the speedy import container deliveries, with a daily average of 1000 TEUs ferried by 10-11 trains from the port to the Inland Container Depot Nairobi. “This is a remarkable improvement in performance compared to the period running from mid-December 2020 to early January 2021 when a build-up of vessels resulted in cargo backlog.”
Some 252 vessels had called at the port between January 1 and February 25 compared to the same period last year, he added.
