MOMBASA, Kenya, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's main seaport, the Port of Mombasa, handled 29.92 million tonnes of cargo throughput in the first nine months of 2024, compared with 26.68 million tonnes during the same period in 2023, officials said on Tuesday.
The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) said this marked a significant growth of 3.24 million tonnes, or 12.1 percent, showcasing the port's resilience and capacity to handle increasing trade volumes despite challenging global economic conditions.
In a statement issued from the port city of Mombasa, the KPA said container traffic surged by 22.7 percent, reaching 1.46 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), up from 1.19 million TEUs in 2023.
KPA Managing Director Captain William Ruto attributed the growth to the hard work and dedication of the workforce, as well as the support of partners and stakeholders, noting that transshipment traffic showed exceptional growth, registering an increase of 216,339 TEUs, or 162.8 percent.
According to the KPA, both imports and exports demonstrated moderate growth, with imports rising by 5.2 percent to 27,656 TEUs and exports increasing by 4.3 percent to 22,273 TEUs.
The KPA reported significant improvement in transit cargo, with total transit volumes reaching 9.83 million tonnes compared to 8.36 million tonnes in 2023, a variance of 1.47 million tonnes, or 17.6 percent.
It said Uganda played a pivotal role in this improved performance, contributing an increase of 1.13 million tonnes, or 21.9 percent.
According to the KPA, the Port of Mombasa remains a critical hub for trade in East Africa, and these promising results reflect its strategic importance in facilitating trade and connectivity across the region.
A notable performance was seen in full transshipment traffic volumes, which recorded an increase of 24,748 TEUs, or 300.6 percent.
Meanwhile, the KPA attributed the increase to windfall traffic along the eastern seaboard of Africa due to the diversion of vessels around the Cape of Good Hope and ongoing congestion issues at the ports of Dar es Salaam and Durban.
With the port's continued growth in cargo volumes and ongoing infrastructural investments, it is on track to meet its annual target for 2024, analysts said. ■
