The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) will upgrade the Terminal Operation System (TOS) at the Port of Mombasa as part of a strategic transformation to improve the quality and speed of cargo handling and transportation.
KPA has won the tender to build a new 240-metre-long berth with a capacity of 300,000 twenty-foot equivalent (TEU).
The construction of the third phase of the 300-metre-long 500,000 TEU capacity Berth 23 at the Port of Mombasa will also be completed in accordance with the law in collaboration with the Japan International Development Agency (JICA).
The latest figures show that the Port of Mombasa, the gateway to landlocked countries in the region, has an annual capacity of 2.1 million TEU.
Ahead of the December holiday, KPA announced that visits to the Port of Mombasa have increased, leading to the addition of food and freight vessels. In addition to facilitating port staff during the peak season, the authorities are also seeking support from other stakeholders such as Kenya Railways to move cargo to the desired destination.
The port’s development follows progress made in the last three years to enhance Kenya’s regional competitiveness, including the Sh32 billion Second Container Terminal Phase 2 project, the Sh40 billion Kipevu Oil Terminal (KOT) and the Sh1 billion cruise terminal.
Cargo traffic at the Port of Mombasa increased by 14% from January to October, with most of the growth coming from Uganda. Kampala’s throughput increased by 1.526 million tonnes, accounting for 26.5% of the port’s overall growth.
Authorities hope infrastructure development will strengthen Mombasa’s position as a regional transport hub, but traders’ concerns about high taxes and rising port costs have put Dar es Salaam on the radar as a viable option.
