Ocean liners CMA CGM and Emirates Shipping Line plan to suspend port calls at Kenyan port Mombasa amid worsening congestion.
The decision applies in particular to their joint Middle East/Indian Sub Continent-East Africa Swahili Express/GIA which comprises of 4 CMA CGM vessels and two vessels from Emirates Shipping.
French line’s Noura Express will resume its call at congestion-stricken Mombasa and add more calls on weekly basis. In turn, Emirates Shipping will take slots on the service, as informed by Dutch Dynamar.
The revised service will be as follows: Noura Express/GMX – 4x 1,800-2,200 TEU – Dubai, Khor Fakkan, Mombasa, Mogadishu and back to Dubai; Swahili Express/GIA – 6x 2,500 TEU – Nhava Sheva, Dubai, Khor Fakkan, Dar Eas Salaam, Zanzibar, Nacala and back to Nhava Sheva.
Cargo volumes at the Kenyan port, which is in dire need of reform so as to boost its operating capacity, have caused ever longer waiting times for vessels resulting in major delays for carriers.
Based on data from October, total time lost was on average above 25 days.
Figures from the Kenya Ports Authority show that in the last ten months Mombasa’s handled cargo has grown by 9.1 percent registering 4.9 million tons up from 4.1 million tons in the year 2013, Business Daily Africa writes.
World Maritime News Staff