THE Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) will auction 200 containers that have stayed for more than 100 days at the Port of Mombasa after a partial waiver on storage charges failed to induce owners to remove them, reports Nairobi's Business Daily.
To clear congestion, the KPA announced in December that it would partially waive storage charges on overstayed containers if owners removed them by March.
"There has been no major impact," said KPA supply chief Yobesh Oyaro. "KPA will now hire auctioneers to dispose of these containers when the need arises."
The KPA placed bids for auctioneers to help dispose of the overstayed cargo both within the port and the inland container depots (ICDs).
KPA managing director Gichiri Ndua said KPA had identified 466 export containers, 737 domestic import and 294 transit export containers that have been lying at the port of Mombasa for between 100 and more than 1,000 days.
Importers say the KPA's offer was meaningless because the reduction in warehouse charges - 30 US cents per cubic metre per day - was only partial while they wanted a waiver on the full Customs Warehouse Rent, which was refused.
Said KRA commissioner general Michael Waweru: "Customs Warehouse Rent is part of government revenue and unless the law is changed, we cannot give a general waiver.
Mombasa is suffering congestion which KPA attributes to lack of space following delays by importers and clearing agents to collect containers from the port and container freight stations.
Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News