SCL slot charters to avoid Mombasa congestion

WITH CONGESTION at Mombasa now endemic - thanks to rehabilitation work at the Kenyan port - SCL (Safmarine/
CMBT Lines) has reduced the problem by pulling out of its vessel-sharing agreement with Delmas, CGM and DAL on the trades between Europe, the Indian Ocean Islands and East Africa.
It has reached a temporary technical agreement instead with EACS (East African Container Service) - chartering slots from this line combine on its weekly service to-and-from Mombasa. The big advantage here is that the combine - MSC and the various members of Beacon (British/East African Container Service), with eight vessels total - has a dedicated berth at the log-jammed port.
The first sailing under the new agreement was the MSC Adele for southbound cargoes, and the MSC Anna Maria for northbound.
Delmas, CGM and DAL have also pulled out of the direct service, and are now offering transhipment via Port Victoria.