Mombasa and Dar es Salaam less rivals than partners, say port chiefs

2012 03 25


KNOWN as rival ports, Kenya's Mombasa and Tanzania's Dar es Salaam say they are now working together to improve efficiency and serve the region better, reports Xinhua.

Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) managing director Gichiri Ndua and Tanzania Ports Authority port manager Cassian N'gamilo said the two ports are not competing but complementing each other, sharing information, skills and strategic planning.

The officials are on a two-day on-spot assessment of the operations of the two ports, saying they share a lot of commonalities and interaction that there is no room for competition, said the report.

"The growth in cargo volumes and hence the demand for services at the port of Mombasa has grown progressively and there is need for capacity expansion," Mr Ndua told a team of ministers from EAC Partner States and EAC Secretary General Ambassador Richard Sezibera at Mombasa.

The ministers are appraising existing problems, solutions that have been introduced and ongoing reforms at the ports as well as assessing the real time in clearing goods at the ports.

Reforms have been introduced, including a single widow programme and 24-hour operations, as well as a grace period for shippers to clear cargo without demurrage.

Mr Ndua said Mombasa still faced adequate port capacity to meet increasing demand, inadequate equipment, lack of adequate investments in infrastructure, as well as infrastructure constraints extending beyond KPA to road and rail networks, systems as well as the slow introduction of new technology.

Cargo volumes through Mombasa had increased 25 per cent since 2007 and the port traffic had increased from 10.5 tonnes to 19.9 tonnes last year 2011.

Mr Ndua said Mombasa Container Terminal was developed in 1980s with a capacity of 250,000 TEU but container had increased to 770,804 TEU in 2011.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
 

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