The port of Mombasa has recorded an increase in cargo over the past two weeks as Central Corridor users opted for the northern route due to uncertainties surrounding the Tanzanian general election.

For Mombasa, this windfall has coincided with the annual end-year importation boom as retailers stock up for the festive season.

Shippers said Mombasa has been handling an average of 57 vessels every 14 days, compared with 42 vessels in the past months.

This is the highest number the port has recorded in the past four years.

Shippers Council of Eastern Africa CEO Agayo Ogambi told The EastAfrican that traders are in a rush to cash in on the festive season, and importers are increasingly preferring Mombasa to Dar es Salaam.“As always, traders are cautious whenever there is an election in any country. They have to secure their cargo by using a safe route since their business has to continue despite political temperatures,” Mr Ogambi said.

Last week, shippers met with the Kenya Ports Authority management and asked the authority to enhance crane availability and reduce downtime to facilitate faster ship turnaround, encouraging shipping lines to schedule more frequent calls to Mombasa.

The Kenya Ship Agents Association (KSAA) CEO Elijah Mbaru reminded KPA about last year’s peak season crisis, saying: “Number of vessels is increasing because of a number of political issues in the region, but this is also the time many have opted to import early ahead of the festive season. We are asking KPA to rework their schedules to handle the influx of ships.”In response, KPA has announced the transfer of all unclaimed cargo destined for landlocked countries to the Naivasha inland container depot beginning November 6.

The port is facing immense congestion and the management has offered 80 percent amnesty of the accrued storage fees as one of the strategies to customers to clear cargo.“The amnesty of scrapping penalties where overstayed cargo owners’ pay 20 percent is expected to improve port efficiency by clearing up space currently occupied by aged cargo. We intend to expedite the clearance of cargo by offering 80 percent amnesty on accrued storage fees,” said KPA managing director Capt. William Kipkemboi Ruto.

The waiver applies to long-stay containers that have been at the port for more than 21 days from the date of the notice. Owners must lodge a waiver application to be considered.

Cargo destined for South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo is being prioritised to create space for incoming shipments.

KPA is also pushing container freight station owners to expand their facilities to handle more cargo.

Between January and September this year, Mombasa handled 32.86 million tonnes of cargo throughput, compared with 29.97 million tonnes during the same period last year."The 2.8 million metric tons increase in cargo is equivalent to a growth of 9.6 percent. Despite different challenges which we are addressing, we are optimistic in achieving our target in the remaining few months. With these impressive numbers, our resolve is to work closely with each stakeholder to further enhance our efficiency and productivity," Capt Ruto said.

In the latest data released this week, the port registered 1.55 million twenty-foot equivalent units (teus), compared with 1.46 million teus in the corresponding period in 2024.

The increase represents a growth of 6.2 percent.

This has meant strategic plans to enhance capacity through the construction of new cargo terminals, oil terminals, and investments in new and mod-ern equipment, as well as greenfield projects like the construction of the Port of Lamu, Shimoni Fish Port, and the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zones," Capt Ruto said."We are constructing berth 19B, with plans for construction of berths 23 and 24 to increase container capacity at the busy port. The authority is also matching investments in physical infrastructure with the acquisition of new equipment including the acquisition is meant to enhance fluidity in the berths and yards through faster cargo evacuation."

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