The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is set to upgrade its Terminal Operating System (TOS) at the Port of Mombasa as part of strategic changes to improve the quality and speed of cargo handling and shipping clearance.
- •KPA has already awarded the tender for the construction of a new berth, which, with a design length of 240 metres, is set to handle 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
- •The Mombasa port will also see progress in the third phase of construction of Berth 23, measuring 300 metres and 500,000 TEUs in capacity, as the authority finalizes engagement with the Japan International Development Agency (JICA).
- •According to the latest data, the port of Mombasa, which serves as the gateway to landlocked countries in the region, has a capacity of 2.1 million TEUs per annum.
Ahead of the December holidays, KPA reported higher vessel calls at the Mombasa port prompting additional deployments of feeder vessels and transhipment lines. Apart from fully optimising port workers during the busy season, the authority also sought support from other freight stakeholders like Kenya Railways to evacuate rising volumes of cargo to their intended destinations.
The upgrade of the port follows developments made over the last three years intended to strengthen Kenya’s competitiveness in the region. These include the KSh32 billion Phase Two of the second container terminal, the KSh40 billion Kipevu Oil Terminal (KOT) and the KSh1 billion Cruise Ship Terminal.
The Port of Mombasa recorded a 14% increase in cargo handled from January-October period with Uganda contributing to bulk of the improvement. Kampala’s throughput grew by 1.526 million tons, accounting for 26.5% of the port’s overall growth.
The authority hopes that the infrastructural uplift will cement Mombasa’s position as a regional hub for sea transit. However, concerns by traders over high taxes and increased costs at the port have resulted in Dar es Salaam garnering interest as viable option.
