Mombasa Port reaps big as Dar es Salaam port suspends operations

The Mombasa Port is reaping big after the Tanzanian Ports Authority (TPA)suspended the bagging of loose cargo at the Dar es Salaam Port due to congestion.

This was after importers redirected their cargo to Kenya to avoid wasting time in waiting for Dar es Salaam to resolve congestion.

According to TPA, the move to suspend the bagging of loose cargo will help evacuate cargo and reduce waiting time for ships at the outer anchorage.

“Due to the current line-up (sic) of vessels at the outer anchorage waiting for berthing, we wish to inform you that bagging of cargo inside the port will be temporarily suspended to evacuate and reduce waiting time at outer anchorage,” reads the letter.

Motor vehicles at the cargo yard of Mombasa port on February 28, 2017. Photo: KPA

At the same time, congestion was also affecting Djibouti regional ports and South African ports.

Gomet.com, an online real-time port congestion portal, predicted that ships docking at Dar es Salaam faced up to 16 days of delay, while Mombasa recorded the highest port turn-around time of one day.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Managing Director Captain William Ruto had earlier, during a press briefing in Mombasa noted that the Mombasa port will receive more cargo due to some inefficiency experienced in other ports in the region.

“We have seen an increase in Traffic of ships since some regional ports experienced inefficiency,” noted Ruto.

He at the same time assured importers that Mombasa port has the capacity to handle their cargo and vessels.

“We prioritised efficiency, eliminated waiters and reduced ship turnaround time, making it attractive to shipping lines,” Ruto added.

On the other hand, the Tanzanian government had in October 2023 signed a Host Government Agreement (HGA) and operation agreements with Emirati logistics Major DP World to improve efficiency at the Dar es Salaam port.