Mombasa eyes transshipment business after port upgrade

With the expensive dredging behind it and the era of fast train set to begin, Mombasa may as well begin to think of its future as one of Africa’s transshipment hubs. At a transshipment point, large ships from industrialised nations frequently dock to create a micro economy as they offload their cargo onto smaller vessels which eventually complete the journey to other ports in the region. The first two months of 2017 have particularly been indicative. Transshipment cargo volumes increased by 87 per cent over last year’s levels to hit 19,225 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). During the same period, the segment accounted for 10,262 TEUs. Dar es Salaam, Pemba, Mogadishu and Mauritius have so far proved as early beneficiaries of Mombasa port’s improved status. “We are geared towards booming business in transshipment segment following growing interest by shippers due to improved services,” said Kenya Ports Authority managing director Catherine Mturi-Wairi. It has a capacity to handle 550,000 containers annually. With the hub in operation, the KPA now has a capacity of 1.6 million containers which means that the perennial congestion of containers that the port experienced prior this project will be a thing of the past. The standard gauge railway (SGR) train is also expected to further ease the congestion at the port when it begins to haul cargo later this year. Officials say the recent dredging has also made it possible for larger ships which cannot dock anywhere else in the region to use the Kenyan port.