The primary port in Kenya has reported a 14% increase in cargo handling in 2024

MOMBASA, Kenya, January 9 (Xinhua) — The Port of Mombasa, Kenya’s primary seaport, reported on Thursday that it processed 41.1 million tons of cargo in 2024, a 14.2 percent increase from 35.98 million tons in 2023.

William K. Ruto, the Managing Director of the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), stated that the growth was driven by substantial increases in containerized and bulk cargo volumes.

According to Ruto, certain significant shipping lines selected Mombasa Port as their transshipment center, which enabled smaller feeder vessels to operate from Mombasa and serve ports in eastern and southern Africa, as well as Indian Ocean islands.

“The Port of Mombasa continues to be a critical hub for regional trade in East Africa, and our enhanced performance emphasizes its strategic significance in the region’s trade facilitation and connectivity,” he informed journalists in the coastal city of Mombasa.

“The port’s resilience and ability to manage growing trade volumes in the face of global disruptions are illustrated by the increased growth,” Ruto stated.

In 2024, the port’s container traffic exceeded 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) for the first time in more than a decade, with a total of 2.005 million TEUs handled, according to him.

In 2023, imports increased by 7.2 percent to 768,088 TEUs, compared to 716,493 TEUs, according to Ruto. Meanwhile, exports increased by 6.6 percent to 731,934 TEUs, compared to 686,526 TEUs in 2023.

He also observed that transit cargo volumes increased by 17.4 percent to 13.4 million tons in 2024, underscoring the port’s critical role in regional trade.

According to Ruto, Uganda continues to be Kenya’s primary transit destination, handling 8.81 million tons in 2024, an increase from the 7.11 million tons processed in 2023. This accounts for 65.7 percent of the total transit cargo. Additionally, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and South Sudan comprise 12.7 percent, 11.8 percent, 5.1 percent, and 3.4 percent of transit destinations, respectively.

Ruto expressed confidence in the port’s future as it pursues capacity-expansion development initiatives.

“We remain committed to enhancing our services and facilities to accommodate the growing global trade demand and to support the region’s economic development,” said the executive.

Ruto stated that the Port of Mombasa’s ongoing success as the dominant trade gateway in East Africa is guaranteed by ongoing investments in infrastructure development, equipment replacement and modernization, and operations system enhancements.