Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has commended the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) for successfully handling the diversion of ships originally bound for Dar es Salaam and Djibouti to Mombasa due to port congestion.
As reported by gocomet.com, Dar es Salaam was experiencing an 18-day delay, while Kenya faced a 3-day delay at the time of publishing this article.
These delays have persisted for several weeks, compelling ships destined for Tanzania and Djibouti to seek alternative docking ports.
Port congestion refers to the anticipated delay a shipment's vessel may encounter upon arriving at a particular port, considering congestion and vessel queues.
This delay, also known as vessel waiting, vessel dwell, and wait time before berthing, is calculated based on live shipments recorded in the last 7 days.
CS Murkomen expressed pride in the achievements of KPA, attributing the success to the implementation of robust technical and human resources.
"I am very proud of the work we are doing at KPA. I congratulate the KPA Board and Management together with my team members at the Ministry; the investment we have made, especially in equipment/machines and technology, along with improved management, is bearing fruit.
"We shall leverage private sector investment through PPP to make our Port even more competitive," shared CS Murkomen on his Twitter page.
KPA Managing Director (MD) Capt. William Ruto acknowledged the surge in ship traffic to the port and affirmed the readiness to handle more ships.
“We have seen an increase in traffic of ships since some regional ports experienced inefficiencies. With our new investments in Container Terminal 2, we are capable of handling any vessel,” stated KPA’s Capt Ruto.
South African ports are also grappling with inefficiencies, as two of the largest shipping lines have suspended their direct calls to Durban due to congestion.