Transport

Cargo ships increase to 26 as clinker, wheat and fertiliser top imports

PORT

A total of 26 cargo ships were handled at the Port of Mombasa in the week ended June 6. FILE PHOTO | NMG

A total of 26 cargo ships were handled at the Port of Mombasa in the week ended June 6. Ten container ships docked at the port compared to eight that loaded and discharged cargo in the previous week.

Twelve towering ship-to-shore cranes discharged export and import containers.

Seventy eight terminal tractors were deployed to transfer export containers from the yards ready for loading onto berthed vessels.

The tractors significantly contribute to loading and offloading efficiency at the port.

While the cargo handling activities took place, container stacking operations by 50 diesel powered rubber-tyred gantries went on simultaneously.

Also happening at the yards was the loading of import containers onto trucks ready for delivery through exit gates.

Approaching entry gates were trucks laden with containers for export while other trucks drove in empty to evacuate cargo.

Not far away at the back-end of the second container terminal went on the loading and shunting of standard gauge rail freight service trains.

During the week under review, the container terminals registered a ship average working time of 2.63 days and import container dwell time of 2.68 days.

Deliveries of containers by road transport recorded 9,204 TEUs while the SGR registered 3,997 TEUs.

Local destined containers recorded 4,227 TEUs while transit bound registered 5,285 TEUs.

Leading position

Uganda maintained her leading position in the transit market segment, accounting for 4,307 TEUs which is equivalent to 81.49 per cent.

Other destinations included the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 265 TEUs, Tanzania 252 TEUs, South Sudan 213 TEUs, Rwanda 207 TEUs and Somalia 23 TEUs.

Elsewhere, the conventional cargo terminal recorded 16 ships that docked to discharge and load lose cargo.

The terminal handled a total of 230,793 metric tonnes of import cargo and 1,969 metric tonnes of exports.

It registered an average of 33,252 metric tonnes of cargo per day. Bulk clinker recorded 112,728 metric tonnes to become the leading import commodity followed by bulk wheat that registered 56,704 metric tonnes.

Other cargo included 20,722 metric tonnes of steel, 18,309 metric tonnes of assorted general cargo, 8,752 metric tonnes of bulk fertiliser and 13,860 metric tonnes stuffed in containers.

A total of 970 units of trucks and 213 units of cars were discharged. The week also saw a total of 176,058 metric tonnes of lose cargo delivered by road transport while 56,704 metric tonnes were delivered by conveyor belt.

Meanwhile 32 cargo vessels and 13 container vessels are expected to call at the port in the next two weeks.

Conventional cargo vessels are expected to discharge 528,949 metric tonnes and load 12,935 metric tonnes while container ships are expected to discharge 11,138 TEUs and load another 11,340 TEUs.