Port of Mombasa registers decline in container yard population

Port operations at the Kenya Ports Authority's Container Terminal in Mombasa County. [Maarufu Mohamed,Standard]

The Mombasa port has recorded a decline of 2,269 Twenty Feet Equivalent Units (TEUs) or 15.88 per cent of the containers in the week ending November 8, 2017 - registering only 12,019 TEUs.

According to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), the downward trend was witnessed on both local and transit bound imports which recorded 1,950 TEUs and 3,124 TEUs respectively.

"The previous week saw local bound imports register 2,482 TEUs while transit bound recorded 4,145 TEUs, with Uganda maintaining the lead to record 2,481 TEUs," KPA  said in a statement .

Other transit destinations included Tanzania which accounted for 188 TEUs, Democratic Republic of Congo with 182 TEUs, Rwanda 135, South Sudan 124 while Somalia and Burundi recorded nine TEUs and five TEUs respectively.

"During the week under review, 10 container vessels docked alongside the container terminals registering a ship average working time of 1.97 days while container dwell time recorded 5.49 days. The vessels discharged 6,736 TEUs, full and empty containers, recording a decline of 5,913 TEUs compared to the previous week," KPA noted.

According to KPA, deliveries of containers from the port by road registered 9,485 TEUs while the rail evacuated 170 TEUs.

KPA forecast that 20 general cargo ships are expected to use the conventional cargo berths.