Mombasa & Dar Es Salaam to Speed up Shipping Operations

Kenya and Tanzania have made major strides over the past one year in improving operations in their key ports, a new shipping survey shows. According to the survey, the two ports have significantly cut cargo dwell time, reducing the cost of doing business in the region. The improvements at the Dar es Salaam and Mombasa ports have boosted efficiency, though they are still way below the internationally acceptable standards of a maximum of three days dwell time.

The Shippers Council of Eastern Africa (SCEA)), in a new survey published last week, said Kenya’s strategic importance as the regional transport corridor for sea trade is coming under severe threat from Tanzania because of the fast-tracked reforms at the port of Dar es Salaam.

The report comes days after Kenya’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure Michael Kamau gave an ultimatum to the Kenya Ports Authority (which manages the Mombasa port) to streamline operations or face the sack. Mr. Kamau said the lack of a central management command and powerful cartels have affected the performance of the port.

“The port used to operate without any central command. The Customs people used to come at their own time, the Kenya Bureau of Standards inspectors also came at their own time,” said Mr Kamau when he met the Senate Committee on Energy and Transport.