The Port of Mombasa got a major boost after one of the leading global shipping lines started operations at the Port.
Contship Ono sailing under the flag of Cyprus started its services with her maiden call at the port of Mombasa which is the gateway to East and Central Africa and is one of the busiest ports in the region.
It was hired by CMA CGM, a French container transportation and shipping company which said is committed to expand its presence in Kenya.
Thierry Bidau Managing Director CMA CGM said, “despite the challenging business environment I am delighted that this service will provide a much needed boost for the export market”.
He went on, “we operate one of the largest container fleets that answers the demand of Kenya’s avocado producers to reach their European markets and export commodities like tea and coffee will also reach their buyers in good time”.
Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) Head of Container Operations Edward Opiyo was on site to receive the vessel at the Berth 21 on Saturday.
Opiyo said the arrival of the foreign ship for the first time in the region underscores Mombasa’s appeal as a potential hub for containerised cargo.
He said the facility’s container terminals can handle larger and latest generation container vessels and has helped strengthen Mombasa’s position not just as a gateway but also transshipment centre.
“We are happy that the arrival of this giant container ship and many more to come will bring more business to Mombasa and the larger East African region,” he said.
He said the maiden container delivery is of importance for the port of Mombasa since it confirms interests from foreign leading container logistics and transport companies in Mombasa a gateway for containerised cargo in the region.
Opiyo said the port has been experiencing a slowdown in business and disruption of operations in the past two months occasioned by the global coronavirus pandemic.
“But the maiden call of Contship Ono is an indication that business will be slowly improving in the coming weeks and months as global shipping lines resume operations,” he said.
He said at least 60 percent of imports handled at the port of Mombasa are shipped from China and with ports in the world’s most populous country resuming operations, things are likely to get better for the Mombasa port.
He said China is the main source market of East African manufactured goods.
Opiyo said to reduce human contact at the KPA they have started on-line cargo documentation processes to enable customers clear cargo electronically and reduce human traffic within the port facility.
He said as a result of the e-clearing the turnaround times for ships have been reduced to two days from three days.
“Port congestion has eased with online cargo documentation and the evacuation of cargo via the standard gauge railway (SGR) to the inland container depot in Nairobi,” he said.
He went on ‘but obviously once we emerge from this crisis we have to reinvent and reengineer our business processes for the port to thrive after the coronavirus pandemic’.
Opiyo termed the integration of the port and the SGR as a multimodal transport system that will have economic benefits for Kenya and the countries that depend on the port of Mombasa including Uganda, Burundi, Congo, Rwanda and South Sudan.
He noted at the moment the port of Mombasa handles an average of 34 million tons as total throughput a year and container traffic amounting to 1.4 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEUs)
By Hussein Abdullahi
MV Contship Ono makes maiden call at the port of Mombasa
