Dar es Salaam and Mombasa ports register influx of ships as end of year cargo deliveries increase
Dar es Salaam Port
What you need to know:
- Mombasa recorded 21 ships waiting at convenience compared to 38 ships at Dar es Salaam port.
- The influx has resulted in Mombasa port cancelling scheduled leave days for staff working in operation and cargo handling departments.
Mombasa and Dar es Salaam ports have registered an influx of ships in the past one week due to longer routes and end year cargo deliveries.
Mombasa recorded 21 ships waiting at convenience compared to 38 ships at Dar es Salaam port.
The influx has resulted in Mombasa port cancelling scheduled leave days for staff working in operation and cargo handling departments.
“There’s no congestion as most of the ships were in the schedule, but because most vessels had longer routes occasioned by attacks by Houthis in the Red Sea, majority have opted to wait and load more cargo hence it is at their convenience. The influx of ships is also as a result of many traders importing merchandise for the holiday and festivities but delayed,” said John Karissa, a Mombasa clearing agent.
Shippers Council of Eastern Africa chief executive George Ogambi said they had expected the situation, which is why they had asked Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) to maintain a normal work schedule to avoid delay in delivering the cargo.
“KPA is doing a good job. What we are asking them is to ensure services continue as scheduled during festivities to maintain efficiency as December and November are peak importing months as retailers replenish inventories and stock up for the holiday season,” said Mr Ogambi.
According to shippers, vessels are waiting at convenience to pick and drop cargo as they head to the Port of Salalah, which is the biggest in the Arabian Peninsula, and most ships in Eastern Africa use it for transshipment.
The East African coastline, Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, compete as regional transshipment points, but both face severe capacity constraints.
Christmas is a season when imports hit all-time highs and it is a time when traffic by land, sea and air increases due to the high number of purchases and the exponential requests for products.
