Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Captain William Ruto has reiterated the opening of the second container terminal (CT2) in 2016 was a game changer.
He insisted that it was not only a game changer but also a first across the region with a 300-meter quay named berth 21 followed by Berth 22, meaning more space for cargo.
"This is while anticipating ships of length overall of about 300 meters adding further capacity and easing congestion," he pointed out.Captain Ruto added that plans for berth 23 and a specialized berth at the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone are in place to ensure continued competitiveness.
This was contained in a press statement he shared with the media as the year comes to a close.
The KPA MD said the port of Mombasa is poised to set new records arguing it is evidently able to do so following the port’s throughput performance for the period January to October 2024 compared to the corresponding period in 2023.
Captain Ruto announced the port facility handled 33,779,255 tons against 29,662,851 tons registered in the similar period in 2023 representing an increase of 4,116,404 tons or 13.9 percent.
He added the main driver of the performance was containerized cargo which increased by 3,120,884 tons or 21.1 percent and also Liquid Bulk which increased by 697,648 tons or 9.0 percent.
"The performance surpassed the set target of 32,151,000 by 1,628,255 tons or 5.1 percent, and similarly, in terms of container traffic," he said.The KPA boss further said the port handled 1,643,240 TEUs against 1,322,999 TEUs handled in the same period in 2023 registering a growth of 320,241 TEUs or 24.2 percent saying both imports and exports also recorded moderate growth of 31,915 TEUs or 5.4 percent and 30,923 TEUs or 5.4 percent, respectively.
Captain Ruto has attributed the increase at the port of throughput to expanding sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, and construction which rely on Mombasa for efficient import and export processes.
He said several global trends have also favoured Mombasa to shift towards larger vessels due to their economies of scale which has driven ports worldwide to adapt.
"To meet the demands of East African trade, KPA initiated major upgrades, notably deepening the harbor in 2013 to accommodate ships with up to 10,000 twenty-foot equivalent units [TEUs]," he pointed out.
