Mombasa port registered 150,639 TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Units) in May 2023 to post a record container traffic performance ever in a single month.

This is a growth of 26.84 per cent against the May 2022 performance of 118,765 TEUs. The positive trend in container traffic has been consistent for the past three months, with March and April 2023 handling 132,119 TEUs and 138,373 TEUs, respectively.  Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said these figures show significant improvement over the same period in 2022, which saw 112,245 TEUs and 121,249 TEUs handled.

The development comes even as the World Bank earlier released a report showing that Mombasa Port has been overtaken by Dar Salaam Port in terms of efficiency and effectiveness. From January to May 2023, the total container traffic reached 652,592 TEUs, compared to 595,319 TEUs during the corresponding period in 2022, an increase of 9.62 per cent.

Container traffic

The port has surpassed its target of 620,719 TEUs by 31,873 TEUs, indicating a potential annual container traffic of 1.48 million TEUs by the end of the year.

Furthermore, operational efficiency has improved. The average container dwell time has reduced to 3.5 days from 4.0 days, while the berth working time has decreased from an average of 2.6 days to 1.7 days. The average gross moves per ship per hour increased from 34 to 36.

“In terms of infrastructure, the Port of Mombasa is set to receive five new Harbour Mobile Cranes on June 3, 2023,” KPA added in a press statement.

Three of these cranes will be deployed at the Port of Lamu, while two will enhance operations in Mombasa. Additionally, four new Ship to Shore Gantry cranes will be delivered in July to replace the old ones.