The port of Mombasa handled 1,643,240 Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units ( 20-foot containers) between January and October, a new report shows.
This is an increase of 320,241 TEUs compared to last year’s 1,322,999 TEUs handled in the same period, registering a growth of 24.2 per cent. Imports and exports also recorded moderate growth of 31,915 TEUs or 5.4 per cent and 30,923 TEUs or 5.4 per cent, respectively.
With less than two months to the end of 2024, the Mombasa port, which last year witnessed container traffic of 1,623,080 TEUs, is on track to exceed its revised target of 1.8 million TEUs.
It is likely to achieve a remarkable 1.972 million TEUs in container traffic, according to Kenya Ports Authority. At the same time, the Mombasa port handled 33,779,255 tons, this against the 29,662,851 tons registered in a similar period in 2023, representing an increase of 4,116,404 tons or 13.9 per cent.
The main driver of this performance was containerised cargo which increased by 3,120,884 tons or 21.1 per cent. Liquid bulk also increased by 697,648 tons or 9.0 per cent.
The performance surpassed the set target of 32,151,000 by 1,628,255 tons or 5.1 per cent. During the period under review, total transit cargo registered 11,180,185 tons against 9,303,171 tons handled in the same period in 2023, posting a strong positive variance of 1,877,014 tons or 20.2 per cent.
In a remarkable recovery, Uganda was mainly responsible for the increase in performance, growing by 1,526,169 tons or 26.5 per cent.
Current projections for the end of 2024 indicate that the Port of Mombasa will handle approximately 40.535 million tons in cargo throughput, 480,241 TEUs in trans-shipment traffic and 13.416 million tons in transit traffic.
The performance can be attributed to new trends like green channel cold chain logistics, shifting perishables from air to sea, an increase in Trans-shipment business and efficiency at the Port of Mombasa.
Kenya Ports Authority managing director Captain
William Ruto said the increased throughput is attributed
to expanding sectors like agriculture, manufacturing,
and construction, which rely on Mombasa for efficient
import and export processes.
