This archive report was first published on 10 May 2020.
On May 10, 2020, the Port of Mombasa welcomed a major development with the maiden call of the Contship Ono, a vessel sailing under the flag of Cyprus.
The ship, hired by CMA CGM, a French container transportation and shipping company, marked a significant milestone in the port's history, underscoring its appeal as a potential hub for containerized cargo.
Thierry Bidau, Managing Director of CMA CGM, expressed his delight at the new service, stating, “despite the challenging business environment I am delighted that this service will provide a much-needed boost for the export market.”
He added, “we operate one of the largest container fleets that answers the demand of Kenya's avocado producers to reach their European markets and export commodities like tea and coffee will also reach their buyers in good time.”
Edward Opiyo, Head of Container Operations at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), was on site to receive the vessel at Berth 21. He noted that the arrival of the foreign ship for the first time in the region underscores Mombasa's appeal as a potential hub for containerized cargo.
“We are happy that the arrival of this giant container ship and many more to come will bring more business to Mombasa and the larger East African region,” Opiyo said.
He added that the port has been experiencing a slowdown in business and disruption of operations in the past two months occasioned by the global coronavirus pandemic.
However, Opiyo expressed optimism that business will slowly improve in the coming weeks and months as global shipping lines resume operations.
He noted that at least 60 percent of imports handled at the port of Mombasa are shipped from China, and with ports in the world's most populous country resuming operations, things are likely to get better for the Mombasa port.
As part of efforts to reduce human contact at the KPA, the authority has started online cargo documentation processes to enable customers clear cargo electronically and reduce human traffic within the port facility.
As a result, the turnaround times for ships have been reduced to two days from three days, and port congestion has eased with online cargo documentation and the evacuation of cargo via the standard gauge railway (SGR) to the inland container depot in Nairobi.
“Port congestion has eased with online cargo documentation and the evacuation of cargo via the standard gauge railway (SGR) to the inland container depot in Nairobi,” Opiyo said.
He noted that the integration of the port and the SGR as a multimodal transport system will have economic benefits for Kenya and the countries that depend on the port of Mombasa, including Uganda, Burundi, Congo, Rwanda, and South Sudan.
At the moment, the port of Mombasa handles an average of 34 million tons as total throughput a year and container traffic amounting to 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs).
