 is planning to expand the old terminal at the Port of Mombasa, the management confirmed the plan.){kind=link}
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) is planning to expand the old terminal at the Port of Mombasa. The management confirmed the plan, considering the ongoing extension of the second container terminal whose construction is entering into the third phase.
The KPA plans to expand the Old Terminal by 290 metres from the current 790 metres. The authority decided to expand Mombasa Port amidst the growing cargo volumes.
Reportedly, the back of growing cargo volumes and numerous ships were received at the regional East African, leading port facility, that was buoyed by rising trade between the East African Community states, which is led by Kenya in association with the international markets.
According to the industry projections, the Port of Mombasa is expected to handle up to 47 million metric tonnes of cargo, by the year 2030, from the current 35.9 million tonnes that was recorded last year in 2023, during the Economic Survey 2024.
Then, an increase from 33.9 million tonnes was seen, that was handled in the year 2022 by the port, as at that time Mombasa maintained its position as the main harbor serving the region.
As per the sources, last year in 2023, the container traffic rose by 11.9 per cent from 1.49 million in 2022 to 1.62 million.
Kenya National Bureau of Statistics noted in its economic survey that the increase was partly due to a 17.6 per cent rise in number of ships handled from 1,561 in 2022 to 1,835 in 2023, by the port.
The average container ship’s turnaround time improved from 2.9 days, as recorded in 2022 to 2.3 days in 2023 and an indication of improved port efficiency, was also recorded.
Also, the average gross moves per ship per hour improved equally from 32.5 moves in 2022 to 38.8 moves in 2023.
Managing Director of Kenya Ports Authority – William Ruto has attributed the stellar performance to the port’s modernisation efforts and a dedicated workforce, which have in turn elevated operational efficiency.
However, the KPA management expects container throughput to grow by 200,000 this year to 1.8 million. Over the long-term, Mombasa is expected to be handling up to 111 million tonnes, by the year 2047.
According to the management, it is necessary to continue the expansion of the port and equipment modernization, which is also courting larger vessels to call at the port.
The first phase of the three-phased project was completed in February 2016 and was then commissioned for operations in September 2016, which increased the port’s annual capacity by 550,000 containers.
The second phase of the project was completed in 2022, and increased the port’s annual capacity by 450,000 containers. Implementation process of Phase-3 was commenced last year in 2023 and is expected to take the port’s capacity to above 2.5 million containers every year, with the second container terminal, located on 100 acres at Kilindini Harbour, which is being one of the biggest projects as KPA has implemented at Mombasa in the recent years.
Furthermore, it is part of the Mombasa Port Development Programme that targets larger vessels and is giving the port a competitive edge over Dar es Salaam and Djibouti ports.
Following this on Monday, KPA management led by Ruto held a meeting and tour of the port with a delegation from Evergreen. As per the reports, one of the world’s leading container shipping companies and Gulf Badr Group specialists in marine services and Evergreen’s agency, witnessed it.
The Evergreen and KPA have had a co-operation spanning a decade with Ruto and is keen to have the shipping line, that will allow more vessels to Mombasa.
Well, the deliberations touched on the operations of the Port of Mombasa, ship turned around, as that time the evacuations of cargo to the hinterland was observed via SGR to Nairobi and Naivasha, and development of port facilities in Special Economic Zones.
MD William Ruto said, “We want to see Evergreen become frequent callers at the Port of Mombasa and we assure the world that Mombasa has the capacity to handle cargo efficiently and in real-time.”
It’s even as he called on Evergreen and other shipping lines to expand operations to Lamu Port, where KPA has invested in new state-of- the-art equipment, consisting of ship-to-shore gantries and mobile cranes.
Ruto is committed to add efficiency and productivity in the port to reduce waiting time and also enhance the vessel turnaround time. The Mombasa remains the gateway to Eastern and Central Africa as it serves the eight countries that includes Northern Tanzania and other landlocked countries, too.
Notably, the Evergreen team comprised of its manager: Near East – Millet Tsai, Deputy Head: Near East Dept (project Division) – Peter Tsai and Gearge Offiesh, along with the marketing and sales director Gulf Badr Agencies and the Evergreen Kenya officials.